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

The Use of Vouchers as an Alternative to Cash Refund: The Italian Way to Deal with the Pandemic Francesco Morandi 1. Introduction; 2. Vouchers according to the Law-Decrees No. 9 and 18/2020; 3. The Effects on Hospitality, Transport and Package Travel Contracts; 4. The Package Travel Contracts after Law No. 27/2020; 5. The Commission Recommendation of 13 May 2020 on Travel Vouchers; 6. Final Remarks. 1. Introduction As the former President of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi wrote in the Financial Times on 25 March, “the coronavirus pandemic is a human tragedy of potentially biblical proportions. Many today are living in fear of their lives. Faced with unforeseen circumstances, a change of mind-set is necessary in this crisis. The shock we are facing is not cyclical. The loss of income is not the fault of any of those who suffer from it. The cost of hesitation may be irreversible”. That is why the actions being taken by Governments to deal with such a difficult situation and to prevent our tourism systems from being overwhelmed must be brave and timely. The response of the Italian Government was not long in coming. Some crucial measures were taken almost immediately and had an international echo. At the same time, several EU Member States adjusted their own legal systems and relaxed the rules relating to the travel sector. We want to focus on one of these in particular, concerning the travel and tourism sector. In the first phase of the emergency, to face the operators' liquidity crisis, the right to issue vouchers as an alternative to a cash refund has been the Italian way of supporting the financial needs of tour operators, carriers and hoteliers. 2. Vouchers According to Law-Decrees No. 9 and 18/2020 In order to avoid the collapse of both the sectors, air transport and tour operator, in particular, the Italian Government adopted, on 17 March, Law-Decree No. 9/2020. First of all, this law expressly

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