Lata is calling for the government to relax the provisions of the Package Travel Regulations during the COVID-19 outbreak that is hitting the travel and tourism industries with force.
So far, over 200 people have stood behind Lata’s fight, which echoes Abta’s new Save Future Travel campaign which was launched on Tuesday 7 April.
The campaign is calling on travel professionals and supporters of the travel industry to contact their MPs and demand respite for the travel sector who have been devastated by the effects of COVID-19.
Lata is asking for three key temporary amendments to the PTRs:
- removal of the 14-day limit for refund payments;
- the allowance refund credits as an alternative to cash refunds to ease cash flow, with all financial protections carried forward;
- stripping travel companies of the responsibility for refunds where costs are not covered by suppliers such as hotels or airlines.
Parliament UK petitions require the government to provide an official response when the petition receives more than 10,000 signatures.
Danny Callaghan, Lata general manager, said: “The travel industry is doing everything it can to help customers but these Package Travel Regulations were not intended for mass holiday cancelations caused by a global pandemic.
“The scale of this crisis on our industry is unimaginable and government needs to act now to help protect thousands of jobs.
“We would urge our travel industry colleagues to get behind this petition which forces the government to respond if enough signatures are reached.”
The petition can be signed here.
