News

On 13 May 2020, the European Commission presented a package of guidelines and recommendations to help Member States gradually lift travel restrictions and allow tourism businesses to reopen, after months of lockdown. The package aims to help the EU tourism sector recover from the pandemic, by supporting businesses and ensuring that Europe continues to be the most important destination for visitors.

The Commission's recommendation on vouchers aims to make travel vouchers an attractive alternative to cash reimbursement for consumers;

Under EU rules, travellers have the right to choose between vouchers or cash reimbursement for cancelled transport tickets (plane, train, bus/coach, and ferries) or package travel. While reaffirming this right, the Commission's recommendation aims to ensure that vouchers become a viable and more attractive alternative to reimbursement for cancelled trips in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The voluntary vouchers should be protected by the member states against insolvency of the issuer, with a minimum validity period of 12 months, and be refundable after at most one year, if not used. They should also be transferable to another traveller.