The court ruling endangers the trade representative status of travel agencies!

The court ruling endangers the trade representative status of travel agencies!

Düsseldorf, Deutschland - A current judgment by the Düsseldorf Regional Court provides great uncertainties in the travel agency industry. The decision could endanger the trade agus of travel agencies, which has far -reaching consequences for the sales structures in travel sales. Loudtravelvor9.deAida Cruises was forbidden to terminate the cooperation to a mediator because he granted refunds to his customers. The court decided that a price commitment violated competition law. AIDA Cruises has already appealed and is aiming for clarification of the highest judge.

The association of independent independent travel agencies (VusR), whose chairman Marija Linnhoff looks at the situation, warns of a ruinous price competition. The sales representative status protects travel agencies from price dumping and guarantees uniform prices between inpatient sales and online platforms. If this status drops, Linnhoff sees the survival of small travel agencies in danger. The pressure from competitors who grant high discounts is already increasing. For example, banks such as the Raiffeisenbank Regensburg-Wenzenbach offer their customers with reimbursement of up to seven percent, which also makes the position of classic travel agencies more difficult.

Consequences for the industry

The judgment could endanger the existing business model because the ban on sharing commissions with customers is considered a restriction of competition. Larger market participants are already preparing for possible changes. Travel agencies are developing new models based on service fees. Linnhoff fears that in the event of a loss of the legal dispute AIDA Cruise, the broker status for sales partners could introduce. This would mean that travel agencies no longer sell with fixed commissions, but would have to shop at net prices and decide for themselves, as they set their margins.

The VUSR chairman draws parallels to earlier developments in retail when the end of the price tie made many small businesses disappear. If the price is eliminated, she sees the risk that online providers will pushing the small travel agencies from the market with high refunds. Linnhoff appeals to the industry to unite and warns of a possible centralization that could restrict the diversity in free sales.

The clashes between tour operators and intermediaries remain a central topic in the industry. The future of the commercial representative status and the associated sales conditions are on the brink, and the next steps are expected with great tension. These developments could not only affect the business model of many travel agencies, but also the entire structure in travel sales.