Background information

Act 185/2020 Coll., on certain measures to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus epidemic known as SARS-CoV-2 on the tourism sector, so called Lex Voucher, should support tour operaters which were badly damaged by anti COVID-19 measures.

Lex Voucher enables tour operaters not to refund the customers´ payments for the travel services in the protection period (from 20 February 2020 till 31 August 2020) if the original obligation under the tour contract ceased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In place of payment refund, the tour operator is enabled to provide to the customer a voucher for the tour at least in the value of the original tour.

Content of measure

The customer is not entitled to reject or return the voucher, although some exceptions are possible (vulnerable groups of customers, e. g. people with disabilities, seniors 65+, unemployed people registered at the Labour Office, pregnant women etc.).

The travel voucher is valid until 31 August 2021. The customer is thus provided with a sufficiently long period to be able to use the travel voucher. In case the voucher is not used by the customer during the protection period, the organizer must return to the customer all the paid payments for the original trip within 14 days from the end of the protection period at the latest.

Use of measure

No information available yet.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Does not apply to workers	Sector specific set of companies	Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
Company / Companies	Companies Other

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	Consulted	Consulted
Form	Consultation through tripartite or bipartite social dialogue bodies	Consultation through tripartite or bipartite social dialogue bodies

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• No involvement
• Main level of involvement: Peak or cross-sectoral level

Involvement

Social partners, which are members of the tripartite body (Council of economic and social agreement, Rada hospodářské a sociální dohody, RHSD) were informed and consulted in both formal (requested by institutional settings) and informal ways. They are not involved in the management of policy measures.

Views and reactions

Supportive.

Sectors and occupations

This case is not occupation-specific.

Sources

• 24 April 2020: Act No. 185/2020 Coll., on certain measures to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus epidemic known as SARS-CoV-2 on the tourism sector/Zákon č. 185/2020 Sb., o některých opatřeních ke zmírnění dopadů epidemie koronaviru označovaného jako SARS CoV-2 na odvětví cestovního ruchu (www.zakonyprolidi.cz)
• 24 April 2020: MMR: Cancellation of the tour due to the anti COVID-19 measures/MMR: Zrušení zájezdu z důvodu šíření onemocnění COVID-19 (www.mmr.cz)