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Scarlet Red Countries: "I booked a trip to Mauritius, can I be reimbursed?"

2021-12-03T05:27:49.142Z


The government bans, from December 4, tourist trips to 10 countries, including Mauritius, where the tourist season is in full swing. Can travelers expect to cancel their stay free of charge? Decryption.


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The travel ban following a decision by the French authorities and not Mauritius, you may not be reimbursed.

The borders of Mauritius remain open, like hotels, and some flights are still operated.

In theory, therefore, it is still possible to travel there and tourism professionals are not obliged to reimburse you.

However, some decide to do it anyway.

It's even more uncertain if you haven't booked a package tour through an agency or tour operator and purchased flight and accommodation separately.

Overview of the different scenarios with two experts.

Read alsoTravel and Covid-19: the updated list of countries classified in green, orange, red and restrictions

For a package trip

In France, article L211-14 of the Tourism Code can force service providers to reimburse their customers in the event of "

exceptional and unavoidable circumstances occurring at or in the immediate vicinity of the place of destination

"

.

The challenge is therefore to assert these circumstances. But according to the lawyer specialist in tourism Emmanuelle Llop, the new restrictions towards Mauritius do not allow the use of this article of law because the ban does not come from said

"place of destination"

but is issued by the French authorities.

This is not the opinion of Raphaël Bartlomé, head of the legal department of UFC-Que Choisir.

“The European Commission issued an advisory opinion in May 2020 saying that the Covid should be considered an exceptional and unavoidable circumstance.

"But this opinion is not legally binding," he laments.

In fact, if the law does not force them to do so, some professionals choose to make a gesture of business.

"Experienced in these situations, they already offer cancellations with postponement free of charge, or even direct refunds

," affirms Emmanuelle Llop.

But these are specific business arrangements. ”

The tour operator Kuoni, for example, announced the reimbursement of all stays scheduled until December 15.

Read alsoTrip canceled due to Covid-19: how to get a refund?

For a dry flight

The chances of reimbursement are conditional on the continuation of the flight.

If it is canceled, bingo: all passengers must be refunded within seven days.

Be careful, since the start of the pandemic, some companies have been reluctant to do so.

"We have assigned 20 airlines on this subject"

, indicates Raphaël Bartlomé.

If the flight is maintained, however, the company is not required to reimburse the passengers.

You still have a chance if you purchased a cancellable and refundable ticket.

"

Some companies are now implementing postponement policies with a credit (or voucher)

", adds Emmanuelle Llop.

For accommodation only

Whether it is a hotel or a rental to a private individual, nothing forces the service provider to reimburse the customer.

It is necessary to examine the conditions of sale practiced by the lodging.

“If it's a big business, the information is often clearly stated.

If it's a small structure, we can often arrange things, ”

says Raphaël Bartlomé.

Note that for reservations made on Airbnb or HomeAway, each rental company applies different cancellation conditions.

It is therefore necessary to consult the advertisement of the reserved accommodation.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2021-12-03

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