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Covid-19: Greek Tourism Businesses to Offer 18-month Vouchers Instead of Refunds
Posted On 08 Apr 2020
Tag: Coronavirus, coronavirus Greece, Coronavirus impact Greece, Coronavirus measures Greece, coronavirus pandemic, coronavirus travel ban, Covid-19, Covid-19 measures, Covid-19 measures Greece, Covid-19 measures tourism, Greek tourism measures for tour operators, tourism and travel, tourism and travel Greece
The Greek Tourism Ministry recently announced that under a new regulation, tourism enterprises and airlines in Greece will be able to reimburse their customers by issuing 18-month vouchers in efforts to mitigate the effects of cancellations due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
Aiming to address liquidity issues for Greek travel agencies, hotels and airlines, as well as safeguard travelers, the measure will ensure that customers who were forced to cancel due to the coronavirus will be able to use the voucher towards a holiday of choice through the same businesses.
On the one hand, the measure ensures that travelers won’t lose their money and will have the chance to use their booking towards another holiday at a later date. On the other, it aims to ensure the viability of many small and medium-sized tourism enterprises that have suffered a blow due to the Covid-19 health crisis.
However, if the vouchers are not used within 18 months, businesses will be required to refund the amount of the initial deposit in cash.
“Refund policies are a huge issue,” said Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis, adding that the new regulation will cover all tourism stakeholders and businesses allowing an 18-month open period instead of refunds. “This provision will be passed in the next bill in the coming days,” he said.
Other EU countries, including Germany, have also promoted the voucher option instead of issuing refunds. In order for such a measure to take place on an EU level, the European Commission must amend its current refund policy directive.
“We are cooperating on a European level and preparing a letter to the Commission to support the measure,” the minister said.
Last month, the Commission advised customers to opt for vouchers instead of refunds and consider traveling at a later date. The European Travel Agents’ and Tour Operators’ Association (ECTAA) has repeatedly called for more flexible reimbursement rules for package travel.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, SETE president, Yiannis Retsos, said that the vouchers are expected to protect the viability of many tourism SMEs.
“What we want to avoid are mass refunds from tourism businesses to their customers due to the cancellations caused by Covid-19, ” Retsos said.
According to Retsos, SETE will encourage Greek enterprises to include an added value to the voucher, as a best practice, in addition to the advance payment made for bookings.
However, it is not clear if Greece’s voucher regulation will include ferry tickets that have been booked in advance. GTP Headlines contacted the tourism ministry for a clarification and is awaiting for a response.
Regarding the coastal shipping industry, at the moment a number of ferry companies have already notified customers that they will grant open date vouchers (some providing the possibility of using them until 2022) for tickets booked in advance for travel in Greece.
It remains to be seen what exactly will be decided on the issue.
I booked a four day break in a hotel in Thessaloniki but had to cancel we’ll in advance of any penalty. The cancellation had nothing whatsoever to do with Covid-19 but the hotel are using that excuse to not pay me my deposit which was one nights room rate. Only €65.00. They have sent me a voucher and told me by email I can have my money back in February 2022. 18 months from now. I have informed them my cancellation was nothing to do with COVID-19 but the hotel manager says that’s what must be done. I have told them I will claim my money back in 2022 and I will never return to Greece again.
Hello to Everybody!
942/5000
Yes, this is a good opportunity to help the tourism industry units with programmed but not real (existent) profit! What about those who do not book accommodation annually and not with their extra money, for e.g. they are part of a choir tour, where the purpose of booking a hotel is not a holiday accommodation, but rather to relax the fatigue of the concert of the day and prepare for the next day’s program! Why does the service provider arbitrarily have the right to make additional profits on the guest’s money, without asking the customer? The reservation does not involve any loss on the part of the hotel, it is completely added until the guest shows up in person! The booking fee is just a certificate of trust that when he arrived there, he will receive the agreed service and there is the possibility to cancel the accommodation with 30 days before the booking! We made the reservation 3 months before and canceled it two months before as a missed Choir (44 person) tour cannot be reprogrammed! It’s gone !!!
Just think about!
thank you
Előzmények
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I booked last year directly via email for a villa that I stayed in May 19. I paid €1134 deposit by bank transfer for rental for 2 weeks from 10th June. Have been told the villa is not opening until 29th June, so effectively they cancelled the booking, but they refuse to refund my deposit. They have offered to change the booking to later on in the season, but I am relunctant to do this. Also offered to change the booking to to next year, but only if we pay a further €792.
As I paid via bank transfer direct from my debit account I can’t recover any money from my bank. Had travel insurance, but they say I am not covered for this.
Feel like I have been robbed. Haven’t been offered any vouchers.