Community measures affecting tourism enterprises with particular reference to the hotelier

Abstract

European integration has become an irreversible and ever expanding process affecting directly not only the Member States of the European Community but also business interests and individuals in all walks of life. The volume of regulations and directives so far produced in the Community has already assumed formidable dimensions. The main aim of this thesis is to bring together the great many achievements, plans, rules, laws and policies relevant to both tourists as consumers and the tourist industry and its enterprises as providers of services, and to provide those with an interest in tourism with a concise work on the subject. An analysis of the activities of the EC in the sphere of tourism will be given not only on the initial objectives and themes of action in this sphere, but also on the subjects that standardise information in the tourism industry and hotels. This will be dealt with in chapter one. As regards the economic and legal interests of the consumer, chapter two will deal with enterprise regulation that is directly related to the interests of the consumer, namely, hotel keeping contracts, fire regulations in existing hotels, package travel regulations, consumer protection in fields of movement of capital relevant to tourism and timeshare, denied boarding compensation, catering hygiene regulation, the liability of the suppliers of services and a more accessible means to justice for the tourist. As regards the economic and legal interests of the tourism industry enterprise, chapter three will deal with the elimination of technical and taxation barriers, the right of establishment and the freedom to provide services, enterprise policy and competition policy on convergences, mergers and computerised reservations systems. As regards the economic and legal relationship between the employer and the employee, chapter four will deal with improvement of social dialogue, the posting of workers abroad and improved living and working conditions of persons employed in tourism. Lastly, chapter five will deal with an environmental-friendly tourism policy. This will comprise mainly legislation concerning environmental impact assessments and a brief reference to relevant construction law, as well as the quality of European Bathing water and how legislation in this field can bring with it long-term economic benefits. Hence, my concluding observations.