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

5 operator and the traveller can both choose to avoid this kind of voucher and find a different solution - even one with a different voucher. In reality, the voucher issuance based on Lex voucher is an option for those tour operators who could not find an amicable solution with their clients. In this situation, the tour operator may notify the traveller that he is using the protection period under Lex voucher, as well as issuing a voucher. The protection starts from 20 February 2020 and lasts until 31 August 2021. The traveller cannot reject the voucher issued under Lex voucher unless he or she qualifies as a privileged traveller, who, under Lex voucher, are:  people with disabilities;  people registered in the labour office as job applicants;  pregnant women;  people on maternity or parental leave;  people over 65 years of age;  single parents caring for a dependent child;  employees who could not work due to limitations on the part of the employer for at least 30 days; and  schools and school facilities registered in the Register of Schools and School Facilities. During the protection period, the traveller may exchange the voucher for a package travel, and if he chooses a new package travel (of equivalent or higher value), the protection of the tour operator stops. Regardless, the traveller can no longer ask for a refund because the voucher has been exchanged for a new contract. If the traveller does not choose any package until the end of the protection period, the tour operator has to refund the traveller in full in 14 days from the end of the protection period. Regarding the bonus vouchers for packages, as previously mentioned, these are obligatory: if a tour operator charges the customer a termination fee, he is obligated to issue a bonus voucher in the amount of 10% of the termination fee. The Czech Government believes that this bonus will be an incentive for the travellers to come back to the tour operators and buy new packages. V. Conclusions: A Voucher World The Czech package travel industry has, in 2 months, transformed into the Czech voucher for package industry. As mentioned, the voucher might be the fairest solution to the COVID-19 situation. On the one hand, it is preferable that the voucher arises from an amicable agreement between the parties; however, on the other hand, there are situations in which either the traveller or the tour operator may need the help of the legislation – hence, the Czech Lex voucher is here to help. Because we are living in a voucher world, the author is continually trying to think further – should there be a platform for a universal exchange of vouchers? Not only regarding the