EU Is All Set To Extend Holiday Travel Protection

Millions of travellers who book holiday ‘packages’ with combinations of flights, hotels, car rentals etc on the internet or in the high-street look set to receive tougher financial protection if things go wrong, under plans put out for consultation by the European Commission today.

The Commission is consulting on extending the basic cover provided by EU’s 1990 Package Travel Directive – on information, liability for sub-standard services and protection for insolvency - to the next generation of ‘dynamic packages’ where consumers make up their own packages, often online, through one website or different partner websites. 23% of EU consumers, and over 40% in countries like Ireland, Sweden are now booking "dynamic packages", many of which currently fall outside EU protection rules (67% mistakenly think they are protected). Following the recent spate of airlines going bust, the paper also considers extending basic insolvency protection for consumers beyond package and dynamic packages across the board, including for stand alone airline tickets.

EU Consumer Commissioner Meglena Kuneva said: "We need tough protection that gives all consumers booking a package holiday the peace of mind they deserve, and we need a level playing field so businesses compete on equal terms. I am particularly concerned about the issue of insolvency. Anyone who saw the TV pictures of thousands of holidaymakers stranded at airports after bankruptcies from Sky Europe to XL, Futura and Zoom, knows that now is the right time to ask tough questions about extending basic insolvency protection to consumers across the board."

The current rules

The EU Package Travel Directive (PTD), dates back to 1990 when the most common type of holiday was a two week package booked through a travel agent using a brochure. The PTD covers pre-defined package holidays combining at least two of the following: (1) transport, (2) accommodation (3) other tourists services such as sightseeing tours (sold at an inclusive price).

The Directive provides protection covering: information in brochures, rights to cancel without penalty, liability for services (eg sub-standard hotels) and protection in the case of a tour operator or airline going bust.

6 priority areas for review

The 1990 PTD is no longer suited for today’s travel market. The internet and low cost airlines have transformed business models and changed consumer behaviour. Increasingly large volumes of bookings are made by consumers putting together their own packages, often online.

6 priority areas have been identified for review:

1. The scope of the Package Travel Directive: The paper considers which types of new package holidays should be covered by the PTD. These could include:

(1) Packages put together by the consumer on the internet from the same website in one go eg Expedia, Opodo.

(2) Packages put together by websites linked through partnership agreements. For instance, a consumer may book a flight online and then be redirected to a partner website offering hotel stays or car rental.

(3) Other travel arrangements, currently not covered, such as cruises or transportation which includes accommodation (eg overnight boat or train trips) and others. See MEMO/09/523 for details.

2. Information: The paper consults on the information to be provided to consumers, when and in what format. The current PTD focuses on brochures and does not mention other media, such as websites.

3. Liability for substandard services and assistance for consumers: The paper consults on who should be liable for the performance of services and for assisting the consumer with problems during the holiday. Today, the old distinctions between carriers, tour operators and travel agents are often blurred. It can be unclear who is responsible when things go wrong.

4. Contract Changes: The PTD allows consumers to cancel a contract without penalty if "essential elements" eg overall price, change in carrier, are changed. The paper considers if there is a need to exchange existing rules on price revision.

5. Insolvency: The PTD requires the tour operator or travel agent to provide security for the refund of all money paid by the consumer and for the repatriation of the consumer in the event of bankruptcy. The risk of insolvency has increased recently. Following a recent spate of airlines going bust, the paper considers whether basic insolvency protection should be extended to cover buying standalone airline tickets (i.e independent travel arrangements not part of any package) so that passengers would be reimbursed for money paid over or repatriated if the airline went bankrupt.

6. Travel Protection Label: The paper considers a “Travel Protection Label” at EU level to indicate which travel products and/or combination of products were protected under the legislation.

What happens next?

The Commission intends to bring forward concrete proposals to review the Package Travel Directive in Autumn 2010. The Commission is also in the process of preparing a review on air passenger rights which will deal with a wide range of consumer issues, including the insolvency of airlines.

Key developments in the package travel sector:

- Europe is the world's largest regional travel market with sales of €246 billion in 2008. Traditional packages (pre-packaged deals containing several elements such as travel and accommodation) account for 40% (€ 98.4 billion) of the total travel market, while dynamic packages for 33% and other travel arrangements for 25% of the market.

Nowadays, a majority of the EU citizens (56% of holidaymakers across the EU, organise their holidays themselves, rather than purchase pre-defined packages (traditional holiday package covered by the Package Travel Directive).

Increasingly large volumes of bookings are made by consumers who have put together their own packages (dynamic packaging), where travellers themselves put together two or more services, such as flight and accommodation from one supplier or from commercially linked suppliers eg websites such as Opodo or Expedia or websites offering packages with partner websites. For instance, a consumer may book a flight online and then be redirected to a partner website offering hotel stays or car rental.

It is important to note that genuinely separate bookings where the consumer buys different components from different sellers /websites that are not linked or co-branded are generally not covered by the review. These "independent travel arrangements" are not considered part of the Package Holiday Sector.

The number of consumers booking ‘dynamic packages’ is increasing dramatically. 23% of EU citizens have used dynamic packages in the past 2 years, but the figure is over 40% in countries such as Ireland (46%) or Sweden (44%), and very high also in countries such as Slovenia (42%) and Italy (36%). See Table 1 in MEMO/09/523 for details.

Many dynamic packages are currently not covered by EU Package Travel Protection. As a consequence an increasing number of consumers booking package holidays are falling outside the scope of the Directive. To illustrate the extent of the change, in 1997, 98% of passengers travelling from the UK on leisure flights were protected by the EU’s Package Travel Directive, whereas in 2005 this number is less than 50%.

It is also clear that consumers are not aware that their legal protection differs depending on how the arrangements are purchased – even though the package of travel components can be identical. 67% of consumers surveyed who used a "dynamic package" that was not covered by the Directive wrongly believed that they were protected. On average, a dynamic package which goes wrong means a loss of almost €600 for the consumer.

Over 50% of consumers believe that they are protected in case of airline bankruptcy when purchasing dynamic packages or independent travel arrangements. In many cases they are currently not covered.

Bankruptcy has become a more pressing concern for consumers, since the risk of insolvency has grown recently. Between November 2005 and September 2008, 29 airlines went bankrupt. In France, for example, there were also 125 bankruptcies of tour operators in 2008, affecting over 9,000 consumers, compared with 95 bankruptcies (affecting just over 2,500 consumers) in 2006. Their effects on holidaymakers varied depending whether tickets were bought as part of a package holiday. As the travel trends have change significantly since the adoption of the Directive in 1990, it is important, particularly, to ask the question whether there should be different protection for insolvency for air tickets sold in a package and those sold as stand alone products

Source:egovmonitor.com

Mak companies to invest in EU via Slovenia

Slovenian managers will educate Macedonian businessmen on how to form a company in Slovenia, which is a part if the EU, which will open a possibility for them to be present in the market with a population of 550m.

This was stated by Uros Petrovic, a manager in UPC counselling group. This education of Macedonian entrepreneurs will start in January next year, after the visa regime is abolished for the Republic of Macedonia.

Petrovic explained that Macedonians will be able to travel to Slovenia without any administrative obstacles, which will enable them to expand the existing business and to found a new one. The abolishment of visa regime would imply tax relieves for founding companies in Slovenia.

Source:macedoniaonline.eu/

Paul Kennedy to advise the Slovenian Convention Bureau

Paul Kennedy MBE, Director of Kennedy Consulting, has been appointed Strategic Advisor to the Slovenian Convention Bureau and its flagship – the Conventa trade show.
Miha Kovacic, Director of the Slovenian Convention Bureau commented: "Having Paul Kennedy aboard brings international expertise and knowledge to Slovenia. With his support we expect to raise the level of professionalism within the industry and visibility of Slovenia in the market as well."


The Slovenian Convention Bureau aims to promote Slovenia as a meetings industry jewel, only now being discovered by meeting, incentive and event planners. Its largest project in bringing Slovenia to the meetings industry map has been the creation of a meetings and incentive travel trade show specifically designed to showcase South East Europe - Conventa. It links together the countries of Southeast Europe in presenting their impressive meetings industry offer to the global market.


Kennedy said: "Like many in the global industry I knew little about Slovenia and more widely what this wonderful region has to offer planners. The quality of facilities, of service, real price competitiveness, safety and ease of travel is enhanced by the wide choice in the region and the sheer beauty of the countries themselves. Conventa offers the opportunity for the destinations in the region to act boldly and aggressively, to work both independently and in collaboration to make a significant impact on the market share in the meetings industry."


The second edition of Conventa will take place from 21 to 22 January 2010 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. For more information please visit www.conventa.info

Source:ftnnews.com

Medvedev coming to Slovenia to watch football

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev will visit new gas pipeline partner Slovenia to watch a football World Cup qualifier between the two countries.
The state-run news agency STA says Medvedev will arrive late Wednesday and meet briefly with President Danilo Turk before the two travel together to the football stadium in Maribor, northeastern Slovenia.

Russia and Slovenia are both eager to gain a berth at the 2010 World Cup.

Medvedev is attending an EU-Russia summit in Stockholm earlier Wednesday.

Slovenia on Saturday joined the South Stream pipeline project for carrying Russian natural gas to Europe.

Source:etaiwannews.com

Slovenia, Greece, Portugal and Uruguay earn places for South Africa

Slovenia (pictured) stunned Russia on Wednesday to qualify for the World Cup finals. Portugal Greece and Uruguay will also travel to South Africa next year.

Slovenia, Portugal and Greece qualified alongside Algeria on Wednesday for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In the surprise of the evening, Slovenia claimed their ticket on away goals after a 2-2 aggregate draw thanks to a 1-0 home win in the play-off second leg against Russia.

Panathinaïkos' striker Dimitrios Salpingidis gave Greece their place for South Africa as his side beat Ukraine 1-0 in Donetsk (both teams drew 0-0 in the first leg).

Finally, Portugal's Meireles scored the winning goal in Bosnia as his side clinched a 1-0 away victory to qualify for their third world cup in a row. Portugal beat Bosnia 1-0 in the first leg.

Uruguay struggled to tame Costa Rica before booking their place in the World Cup finals with a 1-1 draw at home in the second leg of their South America/CONCACAF playoff.

2010 World Cup qualifiers

Source:france24.com

Italy, Slovenia ask EU to lift visa regimes for Albania, BiH

TIRANA, Albania -- Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini and Slovenian counterpart Samuel Zbogar have sent a letter to the EU asking members to speed up the process of visa liberalisation for Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), local media reported on Wednesday (November 25th). Both countries failed to issue biometric passports and ensure full border control, which left them outside the current visa liberalisation plan for the Western Balkans. Instead, only citizens of Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro will enjoy visa-free travel next year as a reward for meeting standards set by Brussels

Source:setimes.com

Slovenia Signs Up to South Stream

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin won Slovenia’s approval Saturday for the South Stream pipeline, undermining European Union efforts to reduce dependency on Russian gas and clearing the way for the project to start.

The seal of approval is the latest victory for the Kremlin as it seeks to counter the long-delayed Nabucco pipeline, which is backed by the EU to curb its energy dependency on Russia by pumping gas from the Caspian and the Middle East.

Slovenia’s approval brings the South Stream pipeline a step closer to being built, though its backers — Gazprom and Italy’s Eni — still have to raise billions of dollars to finance the project.

“We have now signed deals with all the European partners needed for this project to be completed,” Putin told reporters at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow after signing the cooperation deal with his Slovenian counterpart, Borut Pahor.

The accord was signed by Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko and Slovenian Economy Minister Matej Lahovnik. Putin and Pahor later watched the Russian national team beat the visiting Slovenians 2-1 in a World Cup 2010 qualifying match.

“We wanted to sign the agreement before our relations are spoiled after the victory of our team,” Pahor joked at Luzhniki Stadium, RIA-Novosti reported.

Slovenia joins Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary and Greece as a partner in the onshore section of South Stream. The 900-kilometer pipe, due to deliver gas by the end of 2015 and being built in partnership by Gazprom and Eni, will run under the Black Sea to the Balkans, where it will split into northern and southern routes.

With a capacity of 63 billion cubic meters per year, the pipeline is expected to cost between 19 billion and 24 billion euros ($28 billion to $36 billion). It is due to become operational in 2015.

“Thanks to Slovenia’s participation, Russian natural gas will reach the Italian border, the main target market for the [South Stream] project,” a Russian government source, who requested anonymity, told reporters.

Russia has been trying to persuade major European powers that support for alternative supply routes that bypass Ukraine — such as South Stream and another project known as Nord Stream — will ensure smooth supplies.

Putin, who has said Russia will cut gas deliveries to Europe again this year if Ukraine siphons off transit supplies, will travel to Ukraine this week to discuss energy with his Ukrainian counterpart, Yulia Tymoshenko.

Approval for the pipelines is a coup for Putin and a blow for Nabucco, which has been plagued by a lack of supply agreements. But Gazprom is facing an unprecedented fall in demand as some of its European customers switch to cheaper, liquefied natural gas and has yet to secure billions of dollars in financing for South Stream.

Slovenia had said in the past that it also supports Nabucco, which if built would transport 31 billion cubic meters per year from the Caspian region to an Austrian gas hub via Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Hungary.

Source:themoscowtimes.com

Slovenian Tourism Featured at WTM, Officials Happy with 2009 Figures

London, 10 November (STA) - The Slovenian Tourism Board (STO) presented the statistics for tourism in Slovenia in the first nine months of 2009 on the sidelines of the World Travel Market (WTM) in London in Tuesday, inspiring Marjan Hribar of the Economy Ministry to forecast for 2009 the second best result in the history of Slovenia.

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Source:sta.si

Slovenia gives Russia final piece of South Stream puzzle

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin won Slovenia's approval on 14 November for the South Stream pipeline, undermining European Union efforts to reduce dependency on Russian gas supplies.
The seal of approval is the latest victory for the Kremlin as it seeks to counter the long delayed Nabucco pipeline which is backed by the European Union as a way to curb dependency on Russia by pumping gas from the Caspian and the Middle East.

Slovenia's approval brings the South Stream pipeline a step closer to being built, though its backers - Russian gas behemoth Gazprom and Italy's Eni SpA - still have to raise billions of dollars to finance the project. "We have now signed deals with all the European partners needed for this project to be completed," Putin told reporters at his Novo-Ogaryovo residency outside Moscow after signing the cooperation deal with Slovenian counterpart Borut Pahor.

Slovenia is the fifth country to sign such an agreement with Russia on the South Sea pipeline, which will skirt Ukraine and cross Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Greece, Slovenia to Italy. With a capacity of 63 billion cubic metres a year, the pipeline is expected to cost between 19 billion and 24 billion euros ($28 billion to $36 billion). It is due to become operational in 2015. "Thanks to Slovenia's participation, Russian natural gas will reach the Italian border, the main target market for the [South Stream] project," a Russian government source, who requested anonymity, told reporters.
Gas politics
Leaders in the European Union, which imports more than a quarter of its gas from Russia, were dismayed in January when a row between Ukraine and Moscow left European Union customers without gas in the dead of winter. That dispute provoked calls for the European Union to diversify away from Russian gas supplies, though officials at Gazprom forecast EU dependency on Russian supplies will increase over the next decade.

Russia has been trying to persuade major European powers that support for alternative supply routes - such as South Stream and another project known as Nord Stream - will ensure smooth supplies. Both projects bypass Ukraine. Putin, who said Russia will cut gas deliveries to Europe again this year if Ukraine siphons off transit supplies crossing its territory, will travel to Ukraine next week to discuss energy with his Ukrainian counterpart Yulia Tymoshenko.

Nord Stream, which will pipe gas under the Baltic Sea to Germany, recently received approvals from Denmark, Sweden and Finland, a sign that construction work may start next year. Approval for the pipelines is a coup for Putin, Russia's powerful prime minister who takes a keen interest in energy politics, and a blow for Nabucco, which has been plagued by a lack of supply agreements.
But Gazprom is facing an unprecedented fall in demand as some of its European customers switch to cheaper, liquefied natural gas and has yet to secure billions of dollars in financing for South Stream.
Slovenia had said in the past it also supports Nabucco, which if built would transport 31 billion cubic metres of gas a year from the Caspian region to an Austrian gas hub via Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Hungary. (EurActiv with Reuters)

Source:actmedia.eu

Post Office survey votes Slovenia amongst top value ski destinations

Kranjska Gora in Slovenia has been named the fourth best value ski region in Europe and North America in a survey by Post Office Travel Services.

Only Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia beat for Slovenia on value, while resorts in North America, Austria and Switzerland were revealed to be the priciest places to hit the piste.

The results were ascertained by combining the price of a six-day, low season lift pass with ski/boot hire and the cost of food and drink.

Fans of an après-ski tipple will be happy to hear that Kranjska Gora offered the cheapest wine of any of the resorts surveyed, at 98p per glass. Prices at other resorts ranged from £1.17 in Slovakia’s High Tatras to £9.31 in Geilo, Norway.

Slovenia is an ideal ski destination for families and beginners, popular with many due to its gentle terrain.

For more information on skiing in Slovenia, see Slovenia.info.
Source:easier.com

Slovenia prepares for Christmas events

The Slovenia Tourist Board has announced details of the Christmas markets and other events that will be taking place across the country during the festive period.

In Ljubljana, the celebrations will get underway on December 3rd when the capital's lights are switched on.

Various events and activities will take place in the city throughout the month, leading up to a New Year's Eve party and a fireworks display that will be launched from Ljubljana Castle.

From December 3rd to 6th, the St Nicholas Fair will be held in Presernov trg, the city's main square.

The event will feature a number of decorated stalls selling gifts, souvenirs and traditional Slovenian arts and crafts.

Across the rest of the country, there will be a variety of Christmas celebrations including a festival in Maribor from December 5th that will include street theatre, music and puppet shows.

Slovenia recently received praised in National Geographic Traveler magazine's Destinations Rated survey, which awarded the country the fifth-highest score of 133 worldwide locations behind Norway, Canada, New Zealand and Japan.


Source:justtheflight.co.uk

Airlines from Romania, Slovenia and Croatia flock to Belgrade

Drawn in by a new open-sky agreement and an EU decision to allow Serbian citizens to travel visa-free from Dec.19, airline companies from Romania, Slovenia and Croatia are set to begin flying from Belgrade in the next six months.


Romania's Tarom (www.tarom.com) will start flying between Belgrade and Bucharest on Dec.7, Belgrade-based Blic newspaper reports.


Croatia Airlines and Slovenia's Adria Airways (www.adria.si) are due to begin Belgrade flights next year.


Ljubljana-Belgrade flights are planned from March 1, while Zagreb-based flights are expected to begin May 1.


"Romanian Tarom will fly from Belgrade three times a week, while Croatia Airlines (www.croatiaairlines.hr) is expected to fly four times a week," Civil Aviation Directorate spokeswoman Katarina Andric Milosavljevic said.


The Serbian parliament recently ratified the Open Sky agreement to join Europe's liberalised aviation market. The country's aviation agency (www.cad.gov.rs) pledged to license any airline meeting European safety standards.


Serbia has also invited low-cost companies to begin offering flights in anticipation of the European Union's decision to waive visa requirements for Serbian citizens from mid-December.


Source: Balkans.com Business News

Slovenia Twitter

Slovenia /sloʊˈviːniə/ officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: Republika Slovenija, listen is a country in Central Europe bordering Italy to the west, the Adriatic Sea to the southwest, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north. The capital of Slovenia is Ljubljana.

Slovenia has been part of the Roman Empire; partly the Republic of Venice; the principality Carantania (only modern Slovenia's northern part); the Holy Roman Empire; the Habsburg Monarchy; the Austrian Empire (later known as Austria-Hungary); the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (renamed to Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929); partly Kingdom of Italy; between the two World Wars occupied by Germany, Italy, Hungary, and Independent State of Croatia (1941–1945); and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1945 until independence in 1991.

Slovenia is a member of the European Union, the Eurozone, the Schengen area, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe, NATO, UNESCO, WTO, and UN.