The ANVR Travel Vouchers with SGR cover issued and to be issued until the end of this year are valid for 1 year after issue. This ANVR Travel Voucher is also the only voucher covered by SGR in the event of the travel organization's bankruptcy. But the traveler can also do what the voucher is intended for: book a holiday; although that may be 2021. Unfortunately, some media provide incorrect information, which causes unjustified consumer concern.

ANVR Travel Voucher valid for 1 year after issue and covered by SGR

The travel sector has been almost completely shut down for about 8 months. The number of destinations where you can still have a holiday at the moment (yellow travel advice) can be counted on the fingers of one hand, because ANVR travel companies follow the travel advice of Foreign Affairs and therefore do not organize trips to orange destinations. Since mid-March, ANVR affiliated travel companies have in many cases issued an ANVR Travel Voucher with SGR coverage in the event of cancellation of a trip due to Covid-19, ANVR reports on their website.

Frank Oostdam, chairman ANVR: “We will issue these Travel Vouchers with SGR coverage until the end of this year and, contrary to what is said in the media, are valid for one year after issue. And reimbursement of those vouchers is guaranteed by SGR for 12 months in case your travel organization goes bankrupt. It is therefore not necessary to request a refund right now. You can perfectly use the voucher for what they are intended for: booking a new trip in 2021 ”.

Consumer delivered for return

“There is a reservoir of vouchers that have now been issued by travel companies, cottage rental companies, hotels and also airlines. But, as a newspaper calculates, of those more than 3 billion vouchers issued, it is only the ANVR Travel Vouchers with SGR coverage that protect the consumer. This does not apply to vouchers issued by airlines, for example. Despite our frantic efforts to draw attention to this, unfortunately there is still no guarantee fund for them as we know it in the world of package travel, says Oostdam. We estimate that ANVR travel companies issued approximately € 600 million in SGR-covered vouchers. The rest of the amount therefore mainly concerns aviation vouchers without cover, where the customer simply loses his money in the event of the airline's bankruptcy. And don't think that airline bankruptcies don't happen; in recent years there were about 20. It would therefore make more sense and better for the customer if the claim companies would focus on this first. The consumer with an ANVR Travel Voucher with SGR coverage does not have to worry ”.   

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