New EU directive forces OTAs to overhaul operations and boost traceability

JSBy Joan SanzCurated by Joan Sanz. · July 21, 2026 · Follow on LinkedIn

Voice reading · ~1 min

New EU directive forces OTAs to overhaul operations and boost traceability · AI-generated illustration · notitur.com

The new European package travel directive is already on OTAs' radar, and for good reason. According to Hosteltur, online travel agencies will have to update their technology to handle payments, cancellations, vouchers and claims with much greater accuracy than before.

Christian Lucas from Central de Vacaciones makes it clear: the direct impact will be on liquidity, especially for SMEs. They will need to provide better information on package holidays and manage timing mismatches between advances and refunds. The result? Compliance costs go up.

OTAs must increase traceability for every transaction.
Payment and cancellation systems will need to be more agile.
Smaller agencies will feel it most in their bottom line.

My take: this is an opportunity for those who get their tech act together. Agencies that automate processes properly will come out stronger, while those still patching things up will struggle. Traceability isn't a regulatory whim, it's a competitive advantage if you turn it into customer trust.

Quick questions

What is the new EU package travel directive?

It's an EU regulation updating requirements for selling package holidays. It forces online agencies to improve traceability of payments, cancellations and claims, and to provide more detailed information to travelers.

How does the directive affect small OTAs?

SMEs are the most vulnerable because compliance costs rise: they need to upgrade technology, payment systems and refund processes, which tightens their liquidity.

What operational changes will OTAs have to make?

They must modernize their systems to handle payments, cancellations and vouchers in real time, increase transaction traceability, and manage timing gaps between advances and refunds.

Why is traceability key now?

Because the directive requires every step of a package sale to be recorded: from payment to cancellation. Without good traceability, OTAs won't be able to comply.

Is this a threat or an opportunity for OTAs?

It depends on how you handle it. Those that automate and digitize well will come out stronger with more customer trust. Those that see it only as a cost will fall behind.

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