Revision of the package travel directive

Keypoints

The EESC:

·     considers a revision of the Package Travel Directive (PTD) both timely and necessary, and in general welcomes the revised PTD, which aims to codify voucher schemes and provide clear information and legal guarantees to travellers, while giving more flexibility to travel businesses;

·     welcomes the removal of the overlap between packages and Linked travel arrangements (LTAs). This means that when different types of travel services are purchased at the same time for the same trip or holiday and from the same point of sale, this will be treated as a package;

·     is of the view that the Commission’s proposal on the PTD introduces positive significant changes that seek to find a balance between the protection of travellers on the one hand and the interests of travel package operators on the other;

·     is, however, of the opinion that the proposed timelines to refund travellers do not sufficiently consider the cashflow limitations of service providers in exceptional situations, as experienced recently during the COVID-19 pandemic;

·     recommends that the outcome of the Commission’s proposal be as balanced as possible, ensuring that EU package travel remains as competitive as possible while affording protection to consumers with minimal impact on prices and burdens on businesses.

For more information, please contact the INT Section Secretariat