Fabricated complaints and a 'band-wagon-claimant' culture are pushing up the price of holidays, according to the director of the Federation of Tour Operators.

Andy Cooper said a rise in advertising that pushed people to make claims had encouraged more complaints, and sometimes false ones, but the cost of reimbursing customers was inevitably covered by increased holiday prices. 'Clearly there's a cost attached to it and it has to come from somewhere,' he said.

The majority of claims were genuine, Cooper told the Institute of Travel and Tourism conference in Doha, Qatar but when complaints were made when customers got home, and not to the holiday rep during the trip, it looked suspicious and warranted further investigation. He advised travellers to report problems as soon as they arose.

Some complaints bordered on the ridiculous, he said, including travellers claiming that they didn't enjoy themselves enough. 'One customer had booked a November holiday to the Algarve, but complained when it rained all week because it had been sold in a winter sun brochure. He asked for £1,000 compensation even though the holiday cost only £200.'

The most recent statistics from the Office of Fair Trading showed that between January and March 2003 there were 928 complaints made about travel agents, compared with 645 for the same period in 2002, though complaints about holidays were down slightly from 4,566 to 4,070.

Cooper said that in the past travel companies had been inept at dealing with grievances and had an attitude that 'the customer is always wrong'.

'We have got a bit better, but tour operators need to improve their holidays and address areas of concern to prevent problems occurring in the first place and also have better systems for investigating and dealing with complaints when they are made,' he said. 'The question is, do we deal with the complaints or fight back?