Amendments to Tourism Services Act aligned with EU directives

The government sent a bill of amendments to the Tourism Services Act to parliament on Thursday, which will make it possible for travellers to exchange their vouchers for travel that was cancelled after March 2020 for new arrangements or get a refund.

Minister of Tourism and Sports Nikolina Brnjac underlined that the amended law was aligned with the EU package travel and linked travel arrangements directives with regard to refunding money for travel arrangements  that were not consumed after 1 March 2020 and for which travel organisations issued consumers with vouchers.
 
"After the amendments to the law enter into force, travellers who were issued with vouchers can choose whether they want a substitute travel arrangement or cancel their agreement and get a refund within 14 days of cancelling the agreement," Brnjac explained.
 
The amendments also recognise qualifications of tourist guides in response to two actions that the European Commission launched against Croatia for breach of EU law, which are in the last phase before launching proceedings before the EU court, she added.
 
The bill was put to public consultation from 8 January to 7 February and 445 comments were submitted to the Ministry, of which 92 were partly accepted, while the majority (232) were rejected and 121 were taken note of.
 
The majority of the comments related to professional qualifications and examinations for tourist guides which was not the focus of the proposed amendments. Tourist guides lodged the most objections claiming that the ministry had neglected them while allowing foreign tourist guides to operate in Croatia.
 
The Ministry said it would regulate qualifications and examinations for tourist guides in a new regulation, noting that the existing regulation has been in force since 2008. (Hina)

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