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TUI Travel urges greater clarity and simplification of the Package Travel Directive

The Package Travel Directive was introduced to protect EU holidaymakers booking pre-arranged package holidays. Created in 1990, the 23 year old Directive was created at a time before the internet was widely used and when no low cost carriers existed, and is therefore universally recognised as out of date.


TUI Travel PLC
is urging regulators to simplify the Package Travel Directive to make it easier to understand for both customers and the industry. Calling on the Council of Ministers and European Parliament to prevent confusion, the Group is calling for two clear categories of package holiday cover – full cover and no cover – with all of the so called ‘Assisted Travel Arrangements’ treated as full packages.

The Package Travel Directive was introduced to protect EU holidaymakers booking pre-arranged package holidays. Created in 1990, the 23 year old Directive was created at a time before the internet was widely used and when no low cost carriers existed, and is therefore universally recognised as out of date. Over the years fewer travellers have been protected as it failed to keep up with the changing nature of the travel landscape and the broadening definition of a package holiday. Therefore, the Directive as it stands does not incorporate the vastly different ways people book their holidays nor the multiple providers involved in delivering a package holiday.

TUI Travel welcomes The European Commission’s proposal to expand the scope of cover for travellers who have booked package holidays, but is cautious about the proposed introduction of the ‘Assisted Travel Arrangements’ category. TUI Travel believes this category risks creating even more confusion amongst customers and the travel industry over who is covered and the level of protection.

In TUI Travel’s latest Viewpoint video, Mike Bowers, Group Legal Director at TUI Travel PLC points out: “There are plenty of customers out there now who are unknowingly booking holidays without protection. We believe that it is important for travellers to be protected but it should be clear and simple to avoid confusion. The European Commission is looking in to this to ensure more people are in scope and they have mostly done a good job proposing to expand the scope so if it broadly resembles a holiday it’s a package. Yet the introduction of another category, Assisted Travel Arrangements adds complexity. It is also difficult to understand what’s really within it or even what it really means. This is confusing for customers and industry.”

TUI Travel therefore calls for greater clarity and simplification of the Package Travel Directive and a level playing field across the industry for all of those involved in putting together more than one element of a holiday.

Mike Bowers, TUI Travel Group Legal Director, discusses simplification of the Package Travel Directive in company’s latest Viewpoint video.

News Editor - TravelDailyNews Media Network | + Posts

Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.

She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.

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