Travel and tourism agencies
23.05.2024
The FGVT is jointly and severally liable for paying travellers' credits arising from the non-fulfilment of services purchased from travel and tourism agencies.
- A judicial decision or final arbitral award stating the exact net amount of the debt owed;- A decision issued by the customer ombudsman of the Portuguese Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies (APAVT) stating the exact net amount of the debt owed, provided that the ombudsman is registered on the list of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) entities (Resolução Alternativa de Litígios (RAL); _ A decision by the Arbitration Committee.
Requests for the arbitration committee to intervene must be submitted via a specific online form accompanied by documents proving the alleged facts and identifying the travel and tourism agencies involved. This must be done within 60 days of:
_ The end of the trip;_ The cancellation of the trip by the agency;_ The date on which it became known that it would be impossible to proceed with the trip due to an event attributable to the agency;_ The closure of the establishment.
The deadline for the submission of such an application shall be deemed to have been complied with when, in the course of the application:
_ a complaint has been filed in the Complaints Book;_ a complaint has been addressed, in any written form, to: the travel agency and Turismo de Portugal; or the Economic and Food Safety Authority; or the Directorate-General for Consumers; or the Municipal Consumer Information Services; or the Consumer Dispute Arbitration Centres; or the Customer Ombudsman of Travel and Tourism Agencies; or any other entity competent in the matter.
Requests for the arbitration committee to intervene are submitted through the aforementioned online form. In the event that this method is unavailable, a form in PDF format can be sent by e-mail to s.comissao.arbitral@turismodeportugal.pt or, alternatively, by post.
// Request for the activation of the Travel and Tourism Guarantee Fund
To apply for the activation of the Travel and Tourism Guarantee Fund, the PDF form (PT) must be filled out and sent to avt.reclamacoes@turismodeportugal.pt, accompanied by the aforementioned decision or resolution.Having received requests to activate the fund following decisions made by the Arbitration Committee, Turismo de Portugal I.P. shall notify the relevant travel and tourism agencies that they are to pay the amount owed within 10 days, prior to activating the FGVT.
When a payment is made by the FGVT, i.e. in cases where the travel and tourism agency or agencies in question fail to pay the amount owed, said agency or agencies must then reimburse the FGVT for the amount paid out no later than 15 days from the date of said payment.
This information must be read in conjunction with the applicable legislation.
