When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, thousands of Australians had money tied up in bookings with travel and tourism businesses located in Australia and overseas.
The announcement of the pandemic and associated public health measures meant that these plans fell into disarray. As consumers sought to change their plans or obtain refunds, many experienced stress and frustration.
CHOICE surveyed over 4400 Australians who had travel plans disrupted by COVID-19 and is sharing their experiences in our report (see below).
CHOICE is calling on Australian governments to fix Australia’s travel cancellation chaos through implementing seven urgent reforms.
- Changes to make it easier for people to receive refunds.
- Minimum voucher/credit rights.
- A mandatory industry code for all airlines and large travel providers.
- A travel and tourism industry ombudsman.
- A mandatory information standard at time of booking.
- An ACCC market study into the travel and tourism sector.
- A national travel restrictions website.
Download report (PDF)
- Consumer protections for Australian travellers: a plan for clarity, consistency and fairness (1.2MB)
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