Travel agencies warn of risk of collapse of their human and administrative resources
The associations of travel agencies have put the cry in the sky before the end of the moratorium next October 1 for the entry into force of Decree 933/2021 on the collection of data from certain suppliers. They consider the regulation to be confusing and complicated to comply with, and warn of a collapse of their human and administrative resources.
The Federación Empresarial de Asociaciones Territoriales de Agencias de Viajes Españolas (FETAVE), the Asociación Corporativa de Agencias de Viajes Especializadas (ACAVE) and the Unión Nacional de Agencias de Viajes (UNAV) launch a cry for help before the imminent application of Royal Decree 933/2021, which will come into force next October 1st “ without the necessary regulations to clarify and limit its scope”, asú n denounce in a joint statement.
The three associations consider it unacceptable that the Ministry of Interior has taken this decision ignoring their warnings, “knowing that this measure abocará travel agencies to a serious situation of legal insecurity ídica by objective impossibility of complying with current regulations ”.
The travel agencies reiterate their urgent request that the Ministry of Interior reconsider its “unjustified decision ” and so í they have moved both the Ministry itself and the Secretary of State for Tourism.
In their opinion, “without a quick and decisive intervention, the sector is facing an unprecedented disaster that could have been avoided with proper planning and active listening by the government ”.
For agencies, the main consequences of the implementation of the decree are:
-Impossibility to comply with the information requirements in many operations within the deadline set by the rule, since agencies do not hold all the requested data and depend on other suppliers (accommodations, transport companies, etc.) to obtain them.
They are not able to comply with the information requirements in many operations within the deadline set by the rule, since agencies do not hold all the requested data and depend on other suppliers (accommodations, transport companies, etc.) to obtain them.
-A high number of travel agencies sanctioned in the short term for incorrectly applying the “confusing instructions2 contained in the Royal Decree.
-Collapse of the administrative resources of the agencies, which in Spain are mostly SMEs and micro-SMEs. The associations point out that this management requires extended working hours or the hiring of professionals exclusively dedicated to this function, which requires an economic investment beyond the reach of many of these companies.
-Serious commercial impact: “International markets have shown their concern for the high volume of personal data that the Ministry of the Interior requires to be communicated, as well as for the treatment that will be carried out” of the same”, the communiqué states.
FETAVE, UCAVE and UNAV insist that “Royal Decree 933/2021 was approved by the Ministry of Interior without consulting the representative associations of travel agencies and ignoring the complexity and casuí stica of the operation of travel agencies”.
The operational problems imposed by the regulation include, among others, data management in tour groups, MICE events, school tourism, collaboration between different agencies or the obligation to provide a large amount of data that are only known by direct service providers and not by travel agencies.
The impact of this regulation is not limited to the national scope, but also affects international travelers. FETAVE has denounced before the European Commission the possible illegality of Royal Decree 933/2021, stressing that the regulation is disproportionate and unnecessary, infringing several European directives, including Directive 2000/31/EC on e-commerce.
The European Travel Agents' and Tour Operators' Associations (ECTAA), of which ACAVe is a member, has expressed its deep concern and has taken the matter to the European Commission, warning about the serious repercussions for the European tourism market and the protection of travelers' personal data.