The global coronavirus epidemic is disrupting economic life, particularly in the tourism sector. Consumers are also worried about their long-booked travel. Khalid El Wardi, Secretary General of Tourism and Travel Mediation, reacts on Europe 1 and gives the criteria that make cancellation ... and reimbursement possible.

INTERVIEW

Twenty-two billion dollars is what global tourism is expected to lose due to the coronavirus epidemic, according to research by the World Travel and Tourism Council and Oxford Economics. Muriel Pénicaud, Minister of Labor, said on Europe 1 Thursday that 400 companies, mainly from the catering or tourism sector, had applied for partial unemployment for around 6,000 employees. Khalid El Wardi, Secretary General of Tourism and Travel Mediation, talks about the conditions for canceling trips, on Europe 1. Because on the side of travelers, we also wonder.

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Cancellation, under certain conditions

Is it possible to be reimbursed for your trip to an infected area? "It is possible but under certain conditions. The criteria for cancellation and reimbursement at no cost are objective, as opposed to a particularly subjective criterion which is fear of leaving and contamination", explains Khalid El Wardi. The mediator describes several cases. In the context of a dry flight, that is to say the purchase of a plane ticket, the objective criteria are the recommendations of the Quai d'Orsay, especially if a destination is formally discouraged. This is the case of China, for example.

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For "packages" (flight + hotel), it's more complicated

Some air carriers have relaxed their cancellation conditions until the end of May, like Air France. "We are clearly in the precautionary principle, an airline will not maintain a flight to a destination which is formally discouraged and therefore will allow this kind of commercial adjustment", decrypts Khalid El Wardi.

"The difficulty lies in the case of 'packages': people who would have bought a flight, plus a hotel. These are the tourist packages where the criteria are a little more vague," adds the secretary general of the Tourism and Travel Mediation. "We consider that a consumer will be able to cancel - this is a new right since July 2018 and the implementation of a European directive - if an exceptional event arrives at the place of destination and has a significant impact on the contract initially planned. "