The Legal Impacts of COVID-19 in the Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Industry

1 The Impact of the Coronavirus on the Air Transport and Tourism Sectors under the European and Greek Legal Frameworks Evanthia Kardoulia 1 I. Introduction; II. Air Transport; II.1. EU Legal Framework Regarding Passengers’ Rights in Case of Flights Cancellations; II.2. Current Greek Legal Framework Regarding Passengers’ Rights in Case of Flight Cancellations; III. Package Travel; III.1. EU Legal Framework Regarding Travellers’ Rights in Case of Termination of the Package Travel Contract; III.2. Current Greek Legal Framework Regarding Travellers’ Rights in Case of Termination of the Package Travel Contract; IV. Conclusion. I. Introduction Coronavirus has evolved from a regional issue in China into a global “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” with a significant number of cases being recorded at an international and European level 2 . On 11March 2020, the World Health Organization has declared the novel coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) a global pandemic 3 . The COVID-19 has spread to most parts of the world, significantly disrupting public life, including the travel, tourism and aviation industry, which is one of several industry sectors currently under enormous pressure. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), taking into account the unparalleled introduction of travel restrictions across the world, estimates that international tourist arrivals will be down by 20% to 30%, in 2020, when compared with 2019 figures. Putting this into context, the UNWTO underlines that in 2009, on the back of the global economic crisis, international tourist 1 Dr. Evanthia Kardoulia; Attorney at Law; Ph.D. in Tourism Law, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki; LL.M. in Tourism Law, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. 2 World Health Organization, Coronavirus disease 2020. Rolling updates on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) , 24 April 2020. Available at: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/events-as-they- happen ( accessed on 24/04/2020). 3 World Health Organization, WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 , 11 March 2020. Available at : https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at- the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---11-march-2020 (accessed on 14/04/2020).

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzgyNzEy