On Thursday 8th November, the European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) will hold a seminar to discuss the application of EU law to escorted tours.Of concern is inter alia the lack of clarity as to which qualifications are needed by tourist guides to carry out their duties in EU member states. In Italy, where tour escorts have traditionally faced difficulties with the authorities regarding their ability to ‘guide’, the Bersani reform was passed in April this year, aiming to liberalise various aspects of the economy, including tourist guiding. The good news for tour operators is that Italy is striving to develop into a better environment for foreign tourist guides. In practice though, application of the reform will depend on each Italian region’s interpretation of it. Dino Costanza, ETOA’s Rome-based lawyer, will explain how the trade association’s dialogue with Italy’s Department of Tourism will offer useful insight on the progress of the reform, and its impact on those tour operators whose groups travel to Italy.The Escorted Tours Seminar will take place on Thursday 8th November at the Crowne Plaza London – the City, 19 New Bridge St, London EC4V 6DB, United Kingdom. For further information and to gain accreditation as a journalist, please contact Adam Buckmaster, ETOA, Tel: +44 (0) 20 7499 4412, Email: ABuckmaster@etoa.org or David Tarsh, Tarsh Consulting, Tel: +44 (0) 20 7602 5262, Email: David@Tarsh.com.More information here.
