Tourism Industry: New EU Regulations Cannot Bind Travel Agencies

ECTAA Secretary General Eric Dresin declared that he welcomed the Commissioner's commitment, but drew attention to the financial difficulties that tour operators are facing. "The costs of liability and financial protection are a huge burden for agencies, which affects cash flow and competitiveness," he said in an interview with GTP Headlines. "Most tour operators are forced to insure the same risk in two ways - through financial guarantees and insurance, which causes inefficiency, problems with cash flow and competitiveness," he explained.

Dresin also addressed the complexities surrounding the revision of the package travel directive. In his opinion, it is still far from complete. "We estimate that the draft report will be ready by the end of February, but final adoption may take until the end of 2025," he said.

The Commissioner also stressed the need to educate EU institutions on the specific business models operating in the tourism industry and advocates for regulations that are better adapted to the realities of this business.

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The summit also addressed the issue of payment security. Experts analyzed the intricacies of the four-sided model involving cardholders, issuers, buyers and sellers, and discussed the pros and cons of virtual cards in managing B2B travel payments.

“Building a resilient tourism sector requires a collective effort,” the Commissioner stressed, encouraging further dialogue ahead of the ECTAA Travel Distribution Summit scheduled for February 2026.