EU Strengthens Tourist Rights in Package Tours: How New Rules Will Change Travel Bookings

The European Union has updated the rules for package tourist trips: as of May 28, 2026, amendments to the Package Travel Directive officially entered into force, and EU countries have been given time to transpose them into national legislation. For travelers, this means clearer refund conditions, stricter rules regarding vouchers, better protection in case of organizer bankruptcy, and simpler information during tour booking.

The news is important not only for tourists from EU countries. Ukrainian travelers also frequently purchase tours from European operators, book combined trips via online platforms, or plan vacations departing from major European hubs. Therefore, the update of the rules will affect the practice of selling tours, the documents a tourist sees before payment, and how a tour operator must act in crisis situations.

The European Commission stated that the changes are aimed at strengthening travelers' rights and simultaneously providing greater legal certainty for the tourism business, a significant part of which consists of small and micro-enterprises. The reform was a response to problems that became particularly acute after the bankruptcy of Thomas Cook in 2019 and during the COVID-19 pandemic, when mass cancellations of trips, delays in refunds, and disputes over vouchers revealed the weaknesses of the previous system.

What Exactly Changed

The updated Package Travel Directive clarifies which trips are considered package tours, what rights a tourist has in case of cancellation, how vouchers should work, and what happens if the tour organizer becomes insolvent. According to the EU's logic, a traveler should clearly understand whether they are buying a full package tour or separate tourist services, such as only a flight ticket or only accommodation.

This is fundamental because a package tour in European law provides a broader set of guarantees. If a flight, accommodation, transfer, excursions, or other tourist services are combined in one booking, the organizer's responsibility may be broader than in the case of purchasing each service separately. This is why the new rules emphasize the information that the seller must provide before, during, and after the trip.

Among the key changes is the simplification of the legal structure. The EU is removing the category of so-called linked travel arrangements, which was an intermediate between a package tour and independent booking. In practice, this category was often complex for consumers: a tourist might not understand what level of protection they were receiving, and businesses had to work with additional information forms. The European Commission notes that removing this category should simplify the rules and eliminate five information forms.

Vouchers Should No Longer Replace Refunds

One of the most noticeable innovations concerns vouchers. During the pandemic, tourists in many countries were often offered a voucher instead of a refund for a cancelled trip. For businesses, this was a way to maintain liquidity, but for travelers, it created a risk: a person was effectively lending to the tour operator, not always understanding whether they could use the voucher and whether their money was protected in case of the company's bankruptcy.

The new rules establish a clearer approach. The organizer may offer a voucher, but the traveler must give explicit consent. The tourist retains the right to refuse the voucher and demand a refund. If a voucher is not used, an automatic refund must be triggered. Furthermore, open obligations for vouchers and unpaid refunds must have protection in case of the organizer's insolvency.

For tourists, this is an important signal: a voucher can be a convenient option if a person truly plans to reschedule the trip, but it should not turn into an imposed alternative to money. Before accepting a voucher, it is worth checking the validity period, the possibility of transfer to another person, the list of available services, and the automatic refund procedure if the trip does not take place.

Refunds and Organizer Bankruptcy

The updated rules also strengthen protection in case of the insolvency of the package travel organizer. According to the European Commission, travelers will have the right to reimbursement of payments within six months if the organizer becomes insolvent. The EU Council, in its materials, also explained that the new directive increases transparency regarding the coverage of such risks and is intended to prevent situations where financial losses are shifted to families who have already paid for their vacation.

For the tourism market, this is no less important than for consumers. Trust in package tours directly depends on whether the client believes their money will not disappear in case of a crisis. If the rules regarding insolvency are clearer, tourists will be more willing to book more complex trips, and honest operators will receive more equal competitive conditions.

Separate attention should be paid to the right of cancellation without penalty under extraordinary and unavoidable circumstances. The European Parliament, during the adoption of the rules, emphasized that tourists should be better protected if such circumstances arise at the destination, at the place of departure, or significantly affect the execution of the trip. This may be particularly relevant for destinations where the situation changes quickly: due to security risks, natural disasters, transport disruptions, or other crises.

Complaints Must Receive a Response Faster

Another practical change is the obligation to respond to complaints. Under the updated rules, travelers will have the right to a response within 60 days. This does not mean the automatic satisfaction of every claim, but it establishes a clear communication timeframe. For the tourist, this is important because after a spoiled trip or a disputed cancellation, the main problem often becomes not only the amount of compensation but also the prolonged silence of the company.

A well-documented claim remains critically important. A tourist should keep the contract, proof of payment, correspondence with the seller, cancellation notices, boarding passes, receipts for additional expenses, and photos or other evidence of the problem on site. The new rules create a framework, but the practical strength of a claim still depends on the documents.

When the Rules Will Actually Work for Tourists

An important detail: entry into force at the EU level does not mean that all norms will be applied equally in every country starting tomorrow. Member states were given 28 months to transpose the new rules into national legislation, and after this, an additional transitional period is provided for mandatory application by operators. Legal reviews indicate that the practical application of the new directive is expected from 2029, after the completion of national implementation.

At the same time, the European Commission has already called on package travel organizers to voluntarily apply the new approach to vouchers before it becomes mandatory. This is especially relevant against the backdrop of crisis situations that may affect air transport and tourist routes. That is, part of the market may begin adaptation earlier, even if the formal obligation for all operators comes later.

What This Means for Ukrainian Travelers

For Ukrainians who purchase package tours in the EU or through European platforms, the main conclusion is simple: before payment, it is worth looking more closely at who the travel organizer is, exactly what product is being sold, and which law applies to the contract. If the tour is sold by a company operating in the EU jurisdiction, the new rules will gradually affect its documents, information forms, refund rules, and behavior during crises.

Particular attention should be paid to dynamic packages, where the flight, hotel, and additional services are assembled online within a single booking process. For the user, this looks like a convenient vacation builder, but legally it is important whether such a purchase constitutes a package travel. This is exactly what the new requirements for transparent information are aimed at: the tourist must know what level of protection they can count on.

If the trip begins from a European airport, it is useful to check not only the tour conditions but also the departure logistics in advance. On the website, you can view the pages of major hubs, including Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS), Rome Fiumicino (FCO), and Vienna Airport (VIE). To monitor the flight before leaving for the airport, it is also appropriate to check the online board, for example for CDG or AMS.

When booking a package tour, it is worth asking the seller a few practical questions: is this specifically a package travel, who is responsible for the execution of the contract, what are the cancellation conditions, how does the refund process work, are vouchers offered only voluntarily, what is the protection mechanism in case of insolvency, and where to file a complaint. If the answers are unclear, this is a reason to compare the offer with other operators.

Why This Is Important for the Tourism Market

Package tours remain an important part of the European tourism market, although the travel format has noticeably changed. People increasingly combine flight tickets, hotels, transfers, insurance, car rentals, and excursions via digital platforms. The market has become more convenient, but legally more complex: it is not always obvious who is responsible if one element of the trip fails.

The update of the directive attempts to find a balance between tourist protection and business realities. On one hand, the traveler gets more transparency, better protection in case of bankruptcy, and the right not to agree to a voucher instead of money. On the other hand, for operators, legal uncertainty should decrease, and the simplification of categories may reduce the administrative burden.

This also fits into the broader European course toward more sustainable and competitive tourism. Recently, the EU outlined new guidelines for the tourism sector, particularly regarding travel quality, accessibility, digital solutions, and better flow management. More details about this direction can be read in the material about new EU guidelines for tourism.

Conclusion

The new EU rules for package tours are not an instant revolution for every booking today, but they are an important turn toward a more transparent and protected tourism market. For travelers, the main benefit is that vouchers must be voluntary, refunds and protection in case of bankruptcy become clearer, and information about the nature of the trip must be simpler to understand.

Practical advice for tourists is not to wait until 2029 to behave more carefully. Already now, it is worth keeping documents, checking the organizer's status, reading cancellation conditions, and not agreeing to a voucher if a refund is specifically needed. And for the market, this is a signal: trust in tours is restored not by loud promises, but by rules that work at the moment when the trip does not go according to plan.

Material prepared based on the European Commission communication of May 28, 2026, press materials of the EU Council and the European Parliament regarding the review of the Package Travel Directive, and the text of Directive (EU) 2026/1024 in the EUR-Lex database.