Collective Commentary about the New Package Travel Directive

CZECH REPUBLIC | KLÁRA DVOŘÁKOVÁ 749 The annual contribution of a tour operator to the Guarantee Fund for 2019 is determined on the basis of the annual planned revenues of the tour operator for 2019 from the sale of packages and from the sale of travel services that form part of LTA. However, if these revenues are to be lower than the revenues attained by the tour operator in the previous year, the annual contribution is calculated on the basis of revenues from the sale of packages and from the sale of travel services that form part of LTA in the previous year, i.e. in 2018. The annual contribution of a tour operator currently equals 0.1% of the revenues of the tour operators from the packages and from the sale of LTA. For 2020 the contribution drops to 0,05% of the revenues. VII. PRACTICAL IMPACT OF THE PTD2 TRANSPOSITION ON TRAVEL BUSINESS A total of 852 4 tour operators operate in the Czech Republic. The transposition of PTD2 forced tour operators and travel agencies to carry out an audit of their products. A number of travel agencies came to the conclusion that their products newly constituted packages. On the other hand, the feared concept of LTA is actually applicable only in the case of 25 5 tour operators. Nonetheless, a number of tour operators or travel agencies successfully benefit from the exemptions introduced by PTD2, especially from the exclusion of the framework agreement on organisation of business trips from the package regime. In order to sell business trips based on the framework agreement only the licence for unregulated trade of a travel agency is necessary. Some tour operators which have so far provided accommodation with the traveller’s own transport as packages have now taken advantage of the fact that certain services, including e.g. providing meals and drinks are considered to form a part of a single service, specifically accommodation, subject to certain conditions. A licence for the unqualified trade of a travel agency is all that is needed to sell or arrange accommodation in the Czech Republic. 4 There were 852 tour operators registered in the Czech Republic on July 26, 2019 according to the Register of tour operators held by the Ministry of Regional Development. 5 There were 24 tour operators registered both for selling of packages and for facilitating LTA and there was one tour operator registered for facilitating LTA only on July 26, 2019 according to the Register of tour operators held by the Ministry of Regional Development.