Collective Commentary about the New Package Travel Directive

FRANCE | VALÉRIE AUGROS 807 of the balance or financial guarantees to be paid or provided by the traveller; – the minimum number of persons required for the package to take place and the time-limit, referred to in point (a) of Article 12(3), before the start of the package for the possible termination of the contract if that number is not reached; – general information on passport and visa requirements, including approximate periods for obtaining visas and information on health formalities of the country of destination; – information indicating that the traveller may terminate the contract at any time before the start of the package in return for payment of an appropriate termination fee or, where applicable, the standardised termination fees requested by the organiser, in accordance with Article 12(1); – information on optional or compulsory insurance to cover the cost of termination of the contract by the traveller or the cost of assistance, including repatriation, in the event of accident, illness or death. It should be pointed out that the notion of brochure has disappeared. Therefore, information has to be communicated by any means, provided it is on a durable medium. Thus, upon conclusion of the package travel contract, the above-mentioned information will also be inserted into the contract alongside the following information (Article 7 of the PTD): – special requirements of the traveller which the organiser has accepted; – information that the organiser is responsible for the proper performance of all travel services included in the contract in accordance with Article 13 and obliged to provide assistance if the traveller is in difficulty in accordance with Article 16; – the name of the entity in charge of the insolvency protection and its contact details, including its geographical address, and, where applicable, the name of the competent authority designated by the Member State concerned for that purpose and its contact details; – the name, address, telephone number, e-mail address and, where applicable, the fax number of the organiser’s local representative, of a contact point or of another service which enables the traveller to contact the organiser quickly and communicate with him efficiently, to request assistance when the traveller is in difficulty or to complain about any lack of conformity perceived during the performance of the package;