The holiday and travel industry accounts for a substantial part of consumer expenditure. Since holidays often cost a lot, consumers not only look forward to going on holiday but also expect a great deal from their holiday. When things go wrong and these expectations are not lived up to, it can be very distressing to the consumer. Find out what your rights are when you go on holiday, how to protect yourself, and also what to do if your holiday does not go according to plan in this section. Below you will find a summary of the legal obligations involved in booking a holiday. If you would like to find out more, click on the links in the left-hand side of the page to access any relevant articles and see what our documents can do for you.

When someone books a holiday, he or she enters into a contract with the holiday supplier. If the holiday is booked with a tour operator via a travel agent, the contract is with the tour operator. This means that if there are any problems with the holiday, it is the tour operator who is liable. If any problems do occur, the law automatically grants the holidaymaker with a number of statutory rights, which are described in brief below.

Holidaymakers benefit from the Montreal Convention, which makes the airline liable for loss or damage to personal property occuring whilst the property is in their care.

There are also provisions to ensure that the hotel contracted for is not overbooked and the representations about quality and price made by the tour operators are true.