Cruises, trips, excursions… Since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, this vocabulary has completely disappeared from the daily life of the French, confined for several weeks. An important part of the French economy, the tourism sector has come to a complete halt. But for those who had planned a trip in the coming weeks, an order published Wednesday in the Council of Ministers will frame the postponement and reimbursement of stays.
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Those who had planned a canceled trip will however have to wait to be reimbursed, because their tour operator will first offer them a credit, a new trip to be scheduled within 18 months after the departure date initially planned. If, at the end of this period, you have not used the credit for various reasons (choice, financial or calendar impossibility), then you will be able to obtain the reimbursement of your trip, of the train or plane ticket for the nights hotel.
Two solutions for the traveler
"If we had had to reimburse other than in the form of having all the customers, there it was the declaration of immediate bankruptcy", explains René-Marc Chikli, the president of SETO, the syndicate of tour operators. "Thanks to government measures, we should survive," said the official. "So we will find solutions either, we hope, this summer, if not at the start of the school year, this winter or next year."
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This compromise generally satisfies consumer associations, which remain vigilant, however. "We have a right to reimbursement which is only deferred and not canceled," said Alain Bazot, president of UFC-Que Choisir. "And I am already worried about the communications that already exist with certain tour operators who absolutely do not say that, if we do not want to postpone our trip, the right to reimbursement persists."
Tour operators and consumer associations, on the other hand, welcome the flexibility of the government order: with this credit, the travel agency can either offer a service equivalent to that initially planned, or several short stays of a lower amount. .
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