Sustainable Tourism Law

544 SUSTAINABLE TOURISM LAW Among the topics that must be considered in the future by Spanish regulations and that may essentially affect the duties of companies, we must consider expanding the objective scope of the regulation. Along with the classic concept of travel package, we must consider new combinations of travel services. The very concept of traveller has been broadened and the legal provisions to protect them have been strengthened, including new information duties, both during the preparation of the contract and with regards to its completeness. The European Directive continues to develop the traders’ duty to provide guarantees that cover any eventual situation of insolvency. II. THE NEED FOR A NEW REGULATION ON TRAVEL PACKAGES: DIRECTIVE (EU) 2015/2302 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL, OF 25 NOVEMBER 2015 ON PACKAGE TRAVEL AND LINKED TRAVEL Tourism plays a preeminent role in the European Union economy and travel packages represent a significant part of this market. The economic relevance of this sector deserves a special legal protection, which is being considered by the European legislators. Nevertheless, tourism has not always received such an institutional interest. For the European institutions tourism does not have enough significance to deserve a comprehensive EU policy, even when it has been considered within the framework of other general policies, such as consumers’ protection, transportation or even a competition policy 9 . Despite the fact that tourism does not have the consideration of an EU Policy, Treaties do refer to parts of the tourism industry, trying to strengthen their potential and to promote the competitiveness of the European companies that operate in this sector. Preparatory works for the draft of this Directive commenced in 2007. In July of that year, the European Commission’s Directorate General for Consumer 9 On the evolution of the interest that the EuropeanUnion has paid to touristic issues, see BENAVIDESVELASCO, P., “La políticaTurística de la Unión Europea y el Ordenamiento jurídico español”, in Derecho delTurismo Iberoamericano , (Coord. D. Benítez), LibrosenRed, Buenos Aires, 2010. So as TORRES CAZORLA, M.ª I and BENAVIDES VELASCO, P., “La incidencia de la normativa comunitaria en materia turística en el Ordenamiento Jurídico español”, in Veinticinco años de impacto del Derecho comunitario en el Derecho español , (Dir. C. Molina del Pozo), Liceus, Madrid, 2010.