Collective Commentary about the New Package Travel Directive

Sara d’Urso 1 1. Preliminary remarks; 2. The “ratio” f the transfer of the package contract; 3. The transfer; 4. Some issues related to Italian implementation of Directive 2015/2302; 5. Conclusions. 1. PRELIMINARY REMARKS For decades, travellers have mostly relied on the expertise of tour operators when buying all-inclusive packages. Nowadays, the behaviour of travellers has changed significantly. The phenomenon of disintermediation, which was triggered by the on-line tourist offer, has led the more modern tourists to buy tourist services in which they are interested directly via the web. This did not leave the European legislators indifferent. In 2015, the Union decided to revise Directive 90/314 / EEC, issuing a new one: 2015/2302 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning tourist packages and related travel services, which modifies the Regulation (EC) n. 2006/2004 and Directive 2011/83/EU and repeals Directive 90/314/ EEC 2 . The aim of the new law is to extend the protection to those combinations of products of travel services that are in a legal “grey zone” or are clearly not covered 1 Università di Milano Bicocca. 2 Regarding Directive 90/314/CEE of 13 June 1990, see Zunarelli, La direttiva CEE n. 90/314 del 13 giugno 1990 concernente i viaggi, le vacanze e i circuiti “tutto compreso” (The EEC directive n. 90/314 of 13 June 1990 concerning travel, holidays and package tours) , in Dir. trasp., 1994, p. 69; Demarchi, La Direttiva n. 314/90, del 13 giugno 1990, sui viaggi e vacanze “tutto compreso” e la recezione nel nostro ordinamento mediante il d. lgs. 17 marzo 1995 n. 111 (The Directive n. 314/90, of 13 June 1990, on travel and package holidays and the reception in our system through the d. lgs. March 17, 1995 n. 111) , in Aa. Vv., I contratti di viaggio e turismo (Travel and toursim contracts) , ed. by Vaccà Milan, 1995, p. 11; La Torre, Il contratto di viaggio tutto compreso (The all-inclusive travel contract) , in Giust. civ., 1996, II, p. 27; Franceschelli, La fruizione dei servizi turistici nell’ambito della politica comunitaria (The use of tourism services in the context of Community policy) , in Turismo: industria strategica del nuovo millennio (Tourism: strategic industry of the new millennium) , Milan, 1997, p. 30; Silingardi – Morandi, La vendita di pacchetti turistici (The sale of tourist packages) , Tourin, 1998; Tassoni, Il contratto di viaggio (The package contract) , Milan, 1998, p. 235; Flamini, Viaggi organizzati e tutela del consumatore (Organized travel and consumer protection) , Naples, 1999; Buonocore, I contratti di trasporto e di viaggio (Transport and travel contracts) , Tourin, 2003, p. 286.