New law "On Tourism" will come into force in Belarus on January 1
A new law "On tourism" enters into force in Belarus on January 1, as well as a number of legal acts adopted in its development. General Counsel of the Department of Tourism of the Ministry of Sports and Tourism Alexander Krechetov told about innovations in tourism legislation, BelTA informs.
The new aspect of tourism will be the fact that when providing services in the field of international tourism, tour operators will now ensure the provision of tourist services through one of three tools provided by this law. These three methods, an effective contract of liability insurance of the tour operator, a bank guarantee issued on the basis of a contract between the tour operator and the bank, as well as participation in the liability fund of the tour operator.
The choice of the method is left to the tour operator, but its existence is mandatory. The tour operator becomes the executor of the contract for the provision of tourist services, as it is the person who forms tours and ensures their subsequent promotion. The agent in this case is the authorized representative of the tour operator, and in the contract with the tourist, if the tour is sold through a travel agent, his authority must be clearly spelled out.
The distribution of responsibility between the tour operator and the travel agent
Another innovation is the distribution of responsibility between the tour operator and the travel agent. "The tour operator is responsible both for its tours, which it sells, and for their quality, the amount of services provided. At the same time, the travel agent, as a representative of the tour operator, is responsible for contacts with tourists, for the proper conclusion of contracts for tourist services, as well as to ensure that the details of the tour operator, information about the tourist, the selected tour. The tour should be chosen in accordance with the preferences of the tourist, and, of course, the contract must necessarily indicate the security tool.