The European Parliament has adopted a new Package Travel Directive that will impact medical tourism agencies. The new laws are a further modernisation of consumer protection law and a much-needed step to bring the legislation into line with the way in which travel packages are now booked online.
The European Parliament has adopted a new Package Travel Directive to replace the existing legislation. Member States will have 2 years to implement the Directive, and a further 6 months for it to be in force. The current deadline is April 2018.
The new laws are a further modernisation of consumer protection law and a much-needed step to bring the legislation into line with the way in which travel packages are now booked online. The existing Directive has not kept pace with modern practice, leading to significant gaps and grey areas, where travellers had no rights to assistance or compensation if something went wrong.
There are a number of areas where businesses that sell travel services – including medical tourism agencies – will need to review their practices to ensure they comply with the new legislation.
In the eyes of the law, whatever you claim to be, if you act as an agency that directly or indirectly arranges travel for consumers, as a company or individual – you must comply with the law.
Any individual or business that offers to arrange medical treatment in or from the EU, and also offers any other travel service – or even a link to another travel service – will have to comply with the new rules just as any tour operator or travel agent does. Medical travel is not excluded from the new rules and as far as regulators are concerned there is no difference between holiday and medical travel. Medical travel is not exempt.
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