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

alternative to cash reimbursement, would be subject to the passenger’s or traveller’s voluntary acceptance 6. Final Remarks In the end, using vouchers as an alternative to a cash refund has been an interesting idea to deal with the pandemic by avoiding the collapse of the Italian travel and tourism sector. This is for sure, at least in the short period, without prejudice to the problem of its compatibility with the EU regulatory framework. However, the real question is whether this can become the definitive long-term solution or not. The emergency required the adoption of extraordinary and urgent measures. The return to normal requires us to consider the relational framework of passengers, travellers and guests, on the one hand, and carriers, tour operators and hoteliers, on the other, taking into account all market components and the different types of travel services. The global travel and tourism industry has been ravaged by COVID-19, a classic example of a black swan event. While many are looking backwards to compare the current market environment with the post-9/11 or other periods of the past, it is preferable to look straight ahead and try to address the tough questions weighing on our collective minds. If it is true that nothing will be the same as before – as people often say – then we must think of new rules that are fairer for tourists (passengers, travellers or hosts) and equally sustainable for the EU market, working to build a new normal. Nevertheless, as Mario Draghi said, “Speed is absolutely essential for effectiveness. The speed of the deterioration of private balance sheets must be deal by equal speed in supporting each other in the pursuit of what is evidently a common cause”. This is exactly what we are trying to do today.