Many people consider the summer vacation to be "the most beautiful weeks of the year" – but this year they could be canceled. In view of the global corona crisis, it is currently unclear whether summer travel can take place at all. This has never been done before. Will Germany therefore be closed on balcony in 2020?
What the federal government and the federal states have now announced is nothing less than the temporary end to freedom of travel. The Federal Foreign Office (AA) has issued a worldwide travel warning for tourist trips. Many tour operators have stopped operating for the time being, as do cruise lines. Borders were closed to holidaymakers, countless flights were canceled. Travel as one of the favorite pastimes has come to a standstill. The Easter holidays in April are also likely to be canceled as a travel period.
How long this situation lasts cannot be predicted. "The development around the corona virus is very dynamic. At the moment nobody can tell how the situation will change or how long it will last," says Kerstin Heinen, spokeswoman for the German Travel Association (DRV). The industry is still hoping for summer.
Despite the coronavirus pandemic: do not rush to cancel
Vacationers should not panic now. "It is currently not known when the respective entry bans and local quarantine measures will finally be lifted," says travel law expert Sabine Fischer-Volk from the Karimi law firm in Berlin. "It is therefore advisable not to cancel already booked trips that are only to be started in a few weeks or months. Otherwise, cancellation fees will apply."
The travel law expert also calls for reason and solidarity. The corona crisis affects not only the travel industry, but everyone. Tour operators are currently working flat out to adequately inform their customers. "Premature cancellations are of little help. Careful observation and action is now the motto."
Free cancellations of summer holidays are currently not possible
What will happen to a holiday in Mallorca in June, for example? "We simply don't have any reliable information yet. A long-term forecast is very difficult," says Melanie Gerhardt, head of security and crisis management at DER Touristik. The travel professionals can only wait. "We are preparing intensively for the time when people can and want to travel again."
Many tour operators initially canceled their trips until the end of March. At THE tourism applies to the long holidays: "Nothing changes in existing bookings for the summer," says Gerhardt. And with the industry leader Free cancellations of summer bookings are currently not possible. It is expected to be able to restart operations in a few weeks.
Tour operators offer free rebookings for upcoming trips
It looks different for to travel from that actually in the following weeks should be started. For this, the organizers offer free rebooking or refunds.
Here, Fischer-Volk advises to be on the safe side: "Since it is currently not possible to estimate with certainty how the corona pandemic will develop in the future, it is naturally difficult to decide to rebook for a later travel date or another holiday location. " The travel industry, on the other hand, appeals to accept travel credits – and hopes for political aid.
The worst case: the tour operator goes bankrupt
"Many holidaymakers are not entirely unfounded that some providers may experience payment difficulties as a result of the Corona crisis and that they will then have to worry about the travel prices they have paid," is Fischer-Volk's assessment. "The Thomas Cook bankruptcy here has shaken the good reputation of the package tour so far."
In the event of insolvency, European travel operators are insured against bankruptcy, according to the lawyer. Whether the entire travel price can be reimbursed by the insolvency insurer also depends on the number of insolvencies in a financial year. The next few weeks will be decisive: several tourism groups want to use state aid and could get through the crisis.
What you have to consider with package tours and individual holidays
Package tour: For travel packages booked, the Federal Foreign Office's decision thus means that travelers can now cancel free of charge, based on exceptional circumstances. If the tour operator is still not satisfied with the travel warning as a reason, there are plenty of other arguments. Because, for example, if major sights or routes are blocked on site or the vacation trip is otherwise impaired, this should not have been foreseeable in most cases before the booking and those affected can withdraw free of charge.
However, numerous travel providers have already appeared to be accommodating in the wake of the corona pandemic. If an organizer cancels the trip due to the circumstances, customers will of course be reimbursed the full price anyway.
Individual trip: Individual travelers must look closely at the contracts for their individual services booked in the travel destination despite a general travel warning. If hotels or means of transport cannot be used, for example because they are in a restricted area, a refund is possible. However, consumer advocates warn only under German law.
If services were booked directly in the country of travel, in case of doubt only the demand from the respective contractual partner will help. "If you don't want to travel, although a free cancellation is not possible, you should look for a friendly goodwill solution," advises the ADAC. Consumer advocates also rely on direct contact with the contractual partner and see good opportunities for such amicable solutions.
What applies to cancellations of flights
The legal situation is clear in the event of flight cancellations: According to the EU Passenger Rights Regulation, affected customers always get their money back – regardless of whether the airline is responsible for the failure or not. There is only a general right to additional compensation if airlines rely on exceptional circumstances due to the virus. Most consumers are likely to be affected by the increasing flight cancellations by airlines, either now or in the coming weeks.
However, if the companies do not cancel flights on their own initiative, it becomes more difficult for passengers: Consumers, in turn, cannot refer to exceptional circumstances in accordance with European law and cancel free of charge for individually purchased flight tickets, as travel law expert Robert Bartel from the Brandenburg Consumer Center explains.