The European Parliament and EU Council have reached provisional agreement on updating protection for package holidaymakers, based on lessons learned from the Covid pandemic and high-profile bankruptcies.
The revision of the Package Travel Directive strengthens protection for travellers, and improves the situation for the package travel organisers’ sector, a sector largely composed by SMEs and micro-enterprises.
The Package Travel Directive covers pre-arranged package holidays, but also combinations of different types of travel services, such as accommodation or car rental, and offers a high level of protection to consumers.
The COVID-19 crisis, which led to mass cancellations, highlighted several gaps and problems in the application of the Directive and prompted a revision of the current rules.
The new rules will reinforce travellers’ rights, including during crisis situations and strengthen the travel industry overall by ensuring legal certainty for both companies and consumers.
Consumers buying travel packages will be better protected when a package tour is cancelled, with clearer rules on reimbursements.
Holidaymakers will also receive clear information on whether a combination of travel services constitutes a package and who is liable if there are problems. Travellers can receive their money back within six months in case of insolvency and at the latest within nine months in exceptional cases. The directive also specifies the traveller’s right to terminate a travel package contract without a termination fee due to unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances. When submitting a complaint after a trip, travellers will be entitled to a response within 60 days.
The Directive must now be formally adopted by the European Parliament and the Council. Following its entry into force, Member States will have 28 months to transpose the Directive into national law.
Package travel directive – European Commission
2023 Adoption package for the Proposal to Amend the Package Travel Directive – European Commission
