The risk of losses or even closures in the European and Greek market of travel agencies, which continue to provide services in Russia, is visible. The reason is the 19th package of sanctions approved by the European Union on October 23 against Russia, which, for the first time, also includes sanctions in the travel services sector.
According to the European Tour Operators and Travel Agencies Association (ECTAA), of which the Association of Tourist and Travel Agencies in Greece (HATTA), a member of the FedHATTA Federation, is a member, among the new sanctions is the restriction of the provision of services directly related to tourism activities in Russia.
This affects travel companies based in the European Union – such as airlines, travel agencies and tour operators – that sell or combine travel services that include:
- transport to and/or within Russia,
- hotel accommodation and
- packaged tours and other tourist services provided on Russian territory.
In fact, according to a relevant legal opinion received by ECTAA, there is a high risk that travel intermediaries will violate the ban with immediate effect if they sell trips or individual services related to Russia.
As a result, European – and Greek – travel agencies are forced to stop providing their services in Russia, entering a new cycle of anxiety about their viability.
As stated in the Regulation, the new sanctions are imposed “in order to reduce the revenues that Russia derives from these services and to prevent the promotion of non-essential travel and leisure activities in Russia, especially in a context where Union citizens face an increased risk of arbitrary arrest and detention and where consular protection for persons holding dual citizenship is limited”.
The President of FedHATTA, Mr. Lysandros Tsilidis, made the following statement: “Every time new prohibitive directives are issued, another blockade is automatically created for businesses operating in the specific markets. Consequently, the risk of many Greek travel agencies closing is visible.
Once again, the Greek travel agency sector is faced with a particularly strict measure, which it is obliged to follow.
However, the State should finally realize that, since the start of the war in Ukraine, which marked major losses for organized tourism, substantial demands from the travel agency sector remain unsatisfied.
According to Regulation 2025/2033 of the European Council, the following are considered services directly related to tourism activities:
- travel agency and tour operator services
- travel information, advice and planning services
- the organization of tours, accommodation, passenger and luggage transport,
- the issuance of tickets
- tourist guide services
- advertising services related to the above.
