Vacation 2025: Crises, evacuations and new EU rules in tourism!

Vacation 2025: Crises, evacuations and new EU rules in tourism!

The 2025 travel summer was marked by crises and left many holidaymakers in Europe in difficult situations. Forest fires in Greece and Spain led to the evacuation of thousands of holidaymakers. The situation was particularly dramatic in the Izmir region, where over 50,000 people had to be brought to safety. Due to the natural disasters, airports in the affected areas temporarily closed, causing significant travel stress. In addition, volcanic eruptions in Indonesia and Russia affected air traffic, leading to some cancellations and delays. The situation was further aggravated by stricter border controls in several EU countries, which resulted in long waiting times at train stations and motorways.

In the context of these challenges, a smaller graduation tour operator also filed for bankruptcy one year after FTI went bankrupt. These developments have shown how vulnerable the tourism sector is and highlight the need for reforms. In this context, the EU is planning new rules for package holidays to better protect holidaymakers. Loud South German newspaper These regulations are intended to define the rights of travelers more clearly and thus offer more transparency.

New rules for travelers

The Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection has supported the Commission's proposal to update rules to protect travelers. A central aim of these new regulations is to clarify travelers' information and cancellation rights as well as the right to reimbursement and repatriation assistance in the event of the insolvency of tour operators or other unforeseen circumstances. This also includes a clarification of the term “package trip”.

In particular, the new regulations are intended to establish clear guidelines for vouchers. Travelers have the right to reject vouchers and choose a refund within 14 days. If an unredeemed voucher expires, the value should be refunded. In addition, vouchers must be valid for up to 12 months, which can be extended or transferred once. It is also important that vouchers are protected by insolvency guarantees and their value is at least equal to the refund.

Cancellation policy and complaints mechanism

The new cancellation policy stipulates that in the event of unavoidable or exceptional circumstances, travelers can cancel before travel without penalty and with a full refund. Cancellation requests should be examined on a case-by-case basis, taking into account official travel warnings issued up to 28 days before departure. Despite the supported proposals, MPs rejected a motion that would limit advance payments to tour operators to 25% of the total package price.

Rapporteur Alex Agius Saliba emphasized the need for a mandatory complaint mechanism for travelers to strengthen their rights. Parliament adopted a negotiating position with 535 votes in favour, 36 against and 47 abstentions. Negotiations with the Council on the new rules will begin on September 24, marking a significant development for the travel and tourism sector. European Parliament reports on these upcoming negotiations and the associated changes in travel law.