Last Friday, 26.06.2015, a terrorist attack took place at the Tunisian Port El Kantaoui which is a popular vacation spot for European holidaymakers. Many consumers who plan a trip to Tunisia or in another country in the same region, are now worried and wonder if it is possible to rebook or cancel the trip without additional costs.
Rebooking or withdrawal
Did you book a package trip to the Tunisian coast in the near future and are now afraid to go?
Due to the current events, you may argue with your tour operator that the commencement of the journey is too dangerous and therefore not acceptable. Such safety hazards mostly make the terms and conditions you agreed to irrelevant. Consumers can therefore request rebooking or withdrawal from the contract free of charge. Please find more information about the conditions and tips in this article of the European Consumer Centre Austria (ECC).
Basically, this line of reasoning is only valid shortly before the journey. However, some tour operators offer the possibility to rebook trips to Tunisia without additional costs, even if the trip dates lie further into the future.
The tour operator TUI Austria has installed a hotline for its customers. According to the website, Austrian holidaymakers who booked a package travel to Tunisia until September 15th can withdraw without further costs.
Whether this argumentation can also be applied to other countries of the region (e.g. Egypt), is controversial. Consumers should in any case follow the respective media coverage.
If you don't want to commence your booked journey, you should get in touch with your tour operator as soon as possible and try to find a solution.
ECC Austria offers free advise regarding danger at destination. The hotline is available from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. under 01/ 588 77 63.
