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A government scheme to persuade holidaymakers to list their details online in case of emergencies during foreign trips has attracted 54,000 registrations in six weeks.

The Locate programme was launched in mid-May, ahead of the busy holiday season and shortly after the major earthquake in the China.

It was created so that British citizens can be easily traced in the event of a natural disaster or during civil unrest overseas. The scheme was triggered after a survey found that two-thirds of people do not know where family members are staying when on holiday.

A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesperson told Travolution they a further 29,000 family members have been included within the registration system.

Locate was initially launched as a tool for holidaymakers and business travellers, but it has since emerged that a large number of those registering are ex-pats or long-term residents in foreign countries.

The high number of registrations has coincided with increased threats to UK nationals in Zimbabwe and recent FCO advice for visitors to Saudi Arabia.

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