Recommendations for deceptive strategies are made by the federation of bureau links trips and tourism (FedHATTA), to travelers in view of Christmas and New Year’s
FedHATTA draws consumers’ attention to the travel market and the “small print”, which often has negative surprises in store for the outcome of travel at Christmas and New Year.
In this context, FedHATTA highlights some of the most important selection criteria for vacation bookings, which guarantee the safety of travelers as well as the successful organization and good outcome of their trip. Specifically, consumers should:
- To trust, for their movements and online bookings, only the tourist agencies (contractual or electronic) that operate legally and have the certificate of support of the legal conditions for the operation of a tourist office of the Ministry of Tourism (in accordance with Law 393/1976, as applicable). In this way, they will be able to avoid unpleasant surprises from natural or legal persons who operate without the required permits, thus illegally in the area, and do not provide them with any protection.
- To look for the MITHE number of these offices, which they must state on their website, in all their printed and electronic advertisements, in their contracts with consumers and in their general conditions for participating in organized trips.
- An additional guarantee for travelers is that the tourist office they choose – whether conventional or electronic – belongs to one of the Associations of Tourist Offices in the country. They should look for the logo of these Associations on their website or in their publications.
- When the consumer buys an organized trip from a travel agency, he must keep in mind that:
*After carefully reading the conditions of participation, he should sign a relevant contract with the agency, which contains the details of the trip and the rights and obligations of the traveler as well as the tourist agency, which is mandatory by law.
*You should receive a copy of the contract and proof of service.
*His trip should definitely be insured for civil professional liability of the tourist office-organizer, as provided by the P.D. 7/2008, while the consumer himself can choose additional optional travel insurance, which we strongly recommend, which will cover the costs in the event of an accident or illness, possibly also in the event that he is forced to cancel the trip for his own reason.
- Especially when the consumer only buys air or ferry tickets and not an organized trip (package), he should take care, as soon as he pays the price of the tickets, to receive the tickets themselves immediately.
According to FedHATTA “trusting a legitimate travel agency, a member of the Association of Tourist Agencies of Greece, prospective travelers know – as far as humanly possible – that they will carry out their trip in the best and most reliable way and that they will be taken care of who are waiting And by showing elementary care themselves, they will ensure that their vacation will be successful, since they themselves covered it with the right moves and are not in danger of unpleasant surprises.”
The president of the Federation, Lysandros Tsilidis, said: “For their trip, everyone should trust the experts, the tourist offices, who can plan their vacation according to their needs, and prevent any mishaps. It is the only guarantee to avoid unpleasant surprises”.
Source: APE – MEB