Sustainable Tourism Law

226 SUSTAINABLE TOURISM LAW Concerning the assumption that “air transport is key for tourism”, the very same UNWTO expressly recognizes that there are significant differences between the protection regime applicable to aviation and the international standards on rights and obligations of tourists and tour operators 82 . The latter are insufficient to ensure, on their own, an adequate level of consumer protection and a balance of interests of the interested parties, causing problems to travellers and air carriers, particularly when provisions of two or more jurisdictions are applicable to the same flight 83 . As widely acknowledged, the Athens Convention of 13 December 1974 (PAL 1974), relating to the Carriage of passengers and their luggage by sea, as amended by the London Protocol of 1 November 2002 (PAL 2002) 84 , the content of which was transposed in Regulation (EC) No. 392/2009 of the European Parliament and the Council of 23 April 2009, regarding the liability of carriers of passengers by sea in the event of accidents, introduces guidelines which are intended to increase the protection of passengers in the event of damages resulting from deaths or personal injuries 85 . Another very important text on passenger protection and assistance 82 Concerning the relationship between travel contracts and air transport contract, see Morandi F., Alcune riflessioni sui rapporti tra contratto di viaggio e contratto di trasporto aereo , in Aa.Vv., Il trasporto aereo tra normativa comunitaria ed uniforme , cit., p. 411; si veda anche, più in generale, M.M. Comenale Pinto, Le tendenze unificatrici nella disciplina del trasporto di persone , in Scritti in onore di F. Berlingieri , in Dir. mar. , 2010, p. 385. 83 See the document Tourism and Air Transport Policies. 20th Session of UNWTO General Assembly – Background paper for the General Debate , where we read: “Consumer protection – There are significant differences in consumer protection regulations applicable to air transport around the world, and an insufficiency of existing rules at a global level governing the rights and obligations of tourists/consumers and of travel organizers.This causes problems for air carriers and passengers, particularly where the provisions of two or more jurisdictions are applicable to the same flight. UNWTO is working on tourist/consumer protection with a special accent on the elaboration of a draft convention on the protection of tourists and tourism service providers. The subject of consumer protection was addressed at the ICAO Air Transport Conference in March 2013, which gave that Organization a mandate to “develop a set of core principles on consumer protection that strike an appropriate balance between protection of consumers and industry competitiveness and that take into account the needs of states for flexibility, given different State social, political and economic characteristics”. In the meantime, while the UNWTO and ICAO work evolves, pragmatic solutions will have to be sought on a bilateral and regional basis”. 84 About the evolution of the international regulation see M.M. Comenale Pinto, Il passaggio marittimo fra codice della navigazione, convenzioni non ratificate e prospettive comunitarie , in Arch. giur. , 2006, p. 337; M. Casanova, La tutela del passeggero nella Convenzione di Atene , in Dir. mar ., 2006, p. 1089; S. Pollastrelli, Il contratto di trasporto marittimo di persone , Giuffrè, Milano, 2008, p. 193; F. Berlingieri, Le convenzioni internazionali di diritto marittimo e il Codice della Navigazione , Giuffrè, Milano, 2009, p. 1131; G.M. Boi, Trasporto marittimo di persone (responsabilit à del vettore nel) , in Dizionario del diritto privato , cit., p. 531; M.M. Comenale Pinto, Le tendenze unificatrici nella disciplina del trasporto marittimo di persone , in Dir. mar ., 2010, p. 385; S. Zunarelli – A. Romagnoli, Contratto di trasporto marittimo di persone , Milano, Giuffrè, 2012, p. 110. 85 See F. Persano, Problematiche concernenti l’incorporazione della Convenzione di Atene del 2002 in materia di responsabilità dei vettori marittimi di persone nel diritto comunitario , in Dir. comm. internaz ., 2007, p. 205; F. Berlingieri, The Athens Convention on the carriage of passengers and their luggage by sea and the European Parliament Regulation (EC) no. 392/2009 , in Dir. mar. , 2011, p. 1124; A. Zampone, Il contratto di trasporto marittimo di persone, 2. La disciplina dell’Unione europea , in L.Tullio –M. Deiana (ed.), Codice dei trasporti , cit., p. 513; M. Lopez de Gonzalo, La responsabilità del vettore marittimo di persone dal Codice della Navigazione al Regolamento (CE) 392/2009 , in Dir. mar. , 2012, p. 756; C. Perrella, Convenzione di Atene e Regolamento (CE) 392/2009: alcune questioni aperte in materia di risarcimento di danno alla persona , ivi, p. 812; A. Zampone, Il trasporto marittimo di persone , in F. Morandi (ed.), I contratti del trasporto , cit., p. 469.