Travel agencies will examine the recent legal and operational challenges facing tourism, conditioned by international crises, the expansion of artificial intelligence and regulatory developments in air transport, within the framework of the III Jornada Jurídica de Derecho Turístico of UNAV-Fetave, scheduled for next 18 November in Madrid.
The event will take place at the headquarters of the Confederación Empresarial de Madrid (CEIM) and will bring together experts in tourism law, business spokespersons and industry professionals under the banner "Travel agencies in the new era of risk".
At the event, Alicia Gómez Alapont, Director of Legal Affairs and International Standards of UN Tourism, will take the floor, who will present the content of the International Code for the Protection of Tourists and its relevance in assisting travelers in extraordinary contexts.
Liability of agencies in crisis situations
Among the central matters of the meeting is the legal liability of travel agencies when episodes such as armed conflicts, global health crises, extreme natural phenomena or closures of destinations affect trips that have already been booked.
The round table "When the unpredictable happens: legal liability and crisis management in travel agencies" will delve into the obligations of tourism businesses in the face of these scenarios, both from the standpoint of consumer protection and from the perspective of risk management and the maintenance of operations.
This panel will feature Jordi Rivera, Product Director at Icarion, and Josep García, Director of Travel Affinity, SME & Digital Solutions at AON, moderated by Mª Dolores Serrano, Director of UNAV Legal-Deiurem.
Passengers’ rights and the emergence of AI
The integration of artificial intelligence into tourism activities will be another of the areas of analysis. The second panel, titled "Travel agent or AI agent? Between innovation and digital intrusion", will study the legal and business consequences of these tools, in particular in the face of the advance of so-called agentic artificial intelligence, with the ability to carry out operations autonomously.
Antonia Paniza, Professor of Civil Law at the University of the Illes Balears, and José Antonio Flores, CEO of Conecta Turismo, will take part in this debate.
The program will also include a specific presentation on the rights of air passengers and the recent regulatory reforms that affect the work of travel agencies, delivered by Pascual Martínez Espín, professor of Civil Law at the University of Castilla-La Mancha.
The III Legal Conference on Tourism Law of UNAV-Fetave will take place on Wednesday 18 November, from 10:30 hours, at the CEIM headquarters, at Diego de León Street, 50, in Madrid. Participation will be possible both in person and online, subject to registration and with limited capacity.
The event, in which the Federación Madrileña de Agencias de Viajes (Femav) also participates, has the sponsorship of the Community of Madrid and the collaboration of AON, Conecta Turismo, Deiurem, Iryo, Icarion, the University of Castilla-La Mancha and the University of the Balearic Islands.