UK Travel and Tourism: Legal, Ethical, and Consumer Protection Aspects

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LEGISLATIONS AND ETHICS IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM
SECTOR

Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Task 1 (LO1, AC1.1, 1.2, M1, M2, M3, D1, D2, D3).....................................................................3
LO1: understanding of the legal and regulatory framework in the travel and tourism sector.........3
AC 1.1 Legal and regulatory framework of travel and tourism sector........................................4
AC 1.2 Surface, sea and air transport law in UK based on carriage of passengers.....................5
Task 2 (LO2, AC2.1, 2.2, M1, M2, M3, D1, D2, D3).....................................................................6
LO2: Legislations related to health, safety and security of passengers in the travel and tourism
industry............................................................................................................................................6
AC 2.1: Impact of principles of Health, safety and security based legislations in the travel and
tourism sector...............................................................................................................................6
AC 2.2: Analysis of legislation based on Equality......................................................................7
TASK 3 (LO3, AC3.1, 3.2, M1, M2, M3, D1, D2, D3)..................................................................9
LO3: Understanding of consumer protection legislation in relation to travel and tourism sector. .9
AC 3.1: Explanation of contract legislation in relation to customers in the travel and tourism
sector..........................................................................................................................................10
AC3.2: Explanation of consumer protection legislation in the travel and tourism sector of UK
....................................................................................................................................................10
TASK 4 (LO4, AC4.1, 4.2, M1, M2, M3, D1, D2, D3)................................................................11
LO4: Role of Business ethics in the travel and tourism sector of UK...........................................11
AC 4.1: Analysis of ethical dilemmas faced by travel and tourism sector...............................11
AC 4.2: CSR policy of a specific travel and tourism business..................................................12
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................14
References......................................................................................................................................15
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Introduction
Companies of travel and tourism industries try to follow the laws and regulations as stated by the
country so that they are able to increase their performance and satisfy all stakeholders of the
organisation. In this study, detailed focus has been put on the various laws and legislations that
are followed by the business organisations in the travel and tourism sector of UK. Frameworks
that have been developed by the country related to legal structures of travel and tourism industry
has been analysed in this study. The study further discusses the legislations that have been
prepared in order to maintain the health, safety and security of all consumers of the organisation.
Legations related to consumer protection and contracts have also been discussed in the study.
The appropriate roles of business ethics in the travel and tourism sector of the country has been
discussed in complete details in this study.
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Task 1 (LO1, AC1.1, 1.2, M1, M2, M3, D1, D2, D3)
LO1: Understanding of the legal and regulatory framework in the travel and
tourism sector
3

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AC 1.1 Legal and regulatory framework of travel and tourism sector
Legal frameworks of UK Travel and Tourism Sectors are developed by the Government of
the country so that they are able to satisfy the increased amount of tourists who visit the
country every year. The legal frameworks are overviewed and managed with the help of
various acts and legislations that have been described below:
Tourism Act 1969
Tourism Act, 1969 was
developed under the jurisdiction
of UK so that there are a set of
provided policies that can be
followed in order to help
organisations manage tourists.
According to Zajac (2016), the
establishment of British Tourist
Authority and the tourism
development in England,
Scotland and Wales are done
with the help of this particular
Act. In the views of Giaoutzi
(2017), the Act supports the
giving away of financial support
for establishment of hotels and
other accommodation facilities
that can help tourists during
their stay in the country. In
order to develop coordination
among all organisations in the
travel and tourism sector of the
country, the Tourism Act 1969
comes into action and provides
justified set of instructions that
can be followed
(legislation.gov.uk, 2019).
Air Passenger Duty Act, 1996
Air Passenger Duty Act, 1996
was mainly developed so that
the people of the country are
able to follow a certain set of
regulations regarding payment
of taxes for flight charges while
moving out of the country.
Taxes are reduced in case of
in bound flights so that inbound
tourism can be supported and its
growth can be accomplished
within boundaries of UK.
Disability Discrimination Act
1995
In order to help the passengers
availing certain transport within
UK with particular and
registered disabilities, the
government of UK developed
the Disability Discrimination
Act (DDA) in 1995. With the
help of this act, the people with
certain disabilities are provided
support so that they are equally
treated by all people within the
boundaries of the country
(legislation.gov.uk, 2019). As
per the regulations of this act,
people with disabilities are
allowed to use public transports
with extra advantage so that
minimum standards of help can
be provided to them.
Association of British Travel
Agents (ABTA)
All travel and tourism
procedures in UK are controlled
and regulated with the help of
Association of British Travel
Agents. With the help of this
association, proper laws are
maintained while making
bookings for tours in the
country. The management of
this association regulates several
procedures like booking,
management of departure
facilities and transportation
facilities and insurance of
organisations in the sector.
Criminal and Civil Law
All tourists in UK are under the
Criminal and Civil Laws of the
country and are under the
jurisdiction of the law of the
particular country invariable to
where they belong. Any acts
that are committed by the
tourists that violate the laws of
the country are punishable as
per the jurisdiction that is
provided by Justice Governing
Bodies of UK.

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AC 1.2: Surface, sea and air transport law in UK based on carriage of passengers
Carriage of passengers in UK
are done with the help of proper
laws and legislations that are
developed by government so
that there are less amount of
difficulties that are faced by
tourists while they are in UK.
According to Hall et al. (2015),
the regulations are mainly
developed so that organisations
taking responsibility of
transportation facilities of
tourists are able to take
responsibility of their safety.
The legislations help authorities
to remain focused on the
operations of employees so that
tourist safety is properly
maintained. Further, it is also
seen that different types of
modes of transports have
different regulations that are
followed by the organisations in
the particular transportation
sector.
In order to manage proper safety
of passengers travelling by
roads, Government of UK
developed Road Safety Act,
2006 (legislation.gov.uk, 2019).
As per the policies of this act,
safety and accidents of users are
under the responsibilities of the
service provider. The driver of
the particular transport is
responsible for any injury that is
caused to a user and as the
driver represents the
organisation, the organisation is
considered responsible at large.
The act also guides
organisations as per their
policies so that they use updated
technologies in their vehicles
and use them safely on the
roads. Further, proper safety
measures also need to be
available in every vehicle and
the owners of the vehicles need
to ensure that those safety
measures are used by all users in
the vehicle. Further, provisions
for emergency exists needs to be
kept on every public transport
vehicle so that there is an
alternative exit route in case of
any emergency that is faced.
Travelling by Air is maintained
by the Civil Aviation Act 1982
of UK. As per this act, all the
passengers travelling by flight in
UK need to follow the safety
measures as mentioned in the
policies of the Act so that they
are safe during their travel.
Moreover, the act also regulates
and observes organizations in the
aviation industry so that all their
vehicles are maintained properly
and checked at regular intervals
to identify disturbance or
changes that are required.
Timothy (2011) stated that the
Civil Aviation Act also develops
over the policies that are to be
followed by the flights related to
traffic management and
regulations of international level
so that the flights are safe while
they use the routes of foreign
lands. The passengers also need
to be questioned about their
health issues before they are
allowed in the flights as people
with respiratory and
cardiological issues need to be
restricted from using flight
services.
Safety of Safety of passengers at
Sea is maintained with the help
of health and safety act of UK
so that there are all measures
taken by marine vehicles before
they start their journey.
Increased amount of inventory
stocks needs to be kept so that
passengers can be provided with
proper requirements in case any
emergency arises in the middle
of the journey. Further, the
management of organisations
maintaining transports at sea
need to maintain all security
measures for emergency that
may arise during the journey at
sea.

Task 2 (LO2, AC2.1, 2.2, M1, M2, M3, D1, D2, D3)
LO2: Legislations related to health, safety and security of passengers in the
travel and tourism industry
AC 2.1: Impact of principles of Health, safety and security based legislations in the travel
and tourism sector
Principles of Health
The policies of health of tourists in UK are mainly developed so that organisations operating in
the sector are aware of the old tourists and children. The Health and safety principles of Tourism
Sector are developed so that the hospitals within the country take care of the tourists at any time
so that they can be treated in case of any health hazards that arise. Further, the policies also
provide required restrictions that need to be followed for people who already suffer from certain
diseases. The acts restrict the people with certain diseases from travelling in certain types of
transports so that they do not face problems. For example, people with respiratory diseases are
restricted from travelling on air due to pressure variability. On the other hand, people with
cardiological disorders are also restricted from taking tours to elevated areas in the country so
that they do not fall ill due to fall of blood pressure. All the principles are developed in such a
way so that positive impacts fall on the tourists. Principles of Health that are followed by the
country are as per the Health and Safety Regulations Act, 1999 of UK (legislation.gov.uk,
2019).
Principles of Safety
Safety of all passengers and tourists need to be maintained by the organisations in the travel and
tourism sector so that they are able to enjoy the tour properly. Proper arrangements of transports
with safe and experienced drivers needs to be given so that the safety of tourists is maintained
(Grant and Mason, 2012). Apart from that, the places where the tours are being conducted need
to be safe from attacks by terrorists. The destinations also need to be chosen so that they are
accessible by the people who are in the tour group. Food and accommodation facilities also need
to be maintained at a higher quality so that there are no difficulties faced by tourists after they
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use the services that have been provided. These also add up to the positive impacts of safety
principles of various tourists in an organisation.
Principles of Security
Proper Legislations related to the security of tourists are developed by Government of UK and
ABTA so that they are able to provide a safe environment to the tourists and develop satisfaction
in them. The security principles are developed in order to protect the tourists from any external
threats and also increase their attraction towards the country. Hotels and other accommodation
facilities are provided with proper security measures so that the tourists feel satisfied during their
stay in the country. These principles of safety develop positive impacts in the minds of the
customers and they are satisfied with the services provided by the organisations. Security is
provided to tourists of UK with the help of the principles of The Private Security Industry Act
2001 (legislation.gov.uk, 2019).
AC 2.2: Analysis of legislation based on Equality
All people of UK are under the jurisdiction of Equality Act 2010 of the country and tourists are
also under the jurisdiction of this act as long as they stay in the country. As per the laws of the
act all people in the country are to be treated equally by every other person or organisation. In
case of Tourism sector, the laws allow all types of people to visit the country and are protected
from discrimination of any type based on the sex, race, caste, creed and colour by the people
within UK. Further, it is also seen that people of the country are also able to get proper facilities
like every other person with the help of the supporting laws developed for disabled people so that
they also get opportunities of getting treated equally in the country.
There are several legislations that are developed in order to justify the Equality Act that is
followed in the country. Few of them are:
Sex Discrimination Act 2002
As per the regulations of Sex Discriminations Act 2002, no people in the country can be
discriminated on basis of their sex. This prevents homosexual people to be abused in the country
and the tourists are also allowed to visit every place of the country. The gender of the people is
not allowed to act as barriers from enjoying their vacation in the country.
Disability Discrimination Act 1995
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The tourists with certain disability registered in their country visiting UK are protected with the
help of Disability Discrimination Act 1995 of UK. As per the regulations of the Act, it can be
commented that all people in the country with certain disabilities are provided with extra
facilities by the country so that they are satisfied with their vacation. Brondoni (2017) stated that,
in transports they are provided with special seating arrangements and safety measures so that
they are safe during their journey. This enables them to enjoy the same services as the other
normal people and tourists enjoy. This increases the satisfaction of disabled people in the country
and the popularity of tourism and travel sector of UK is increased.
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TASK 3 (LO3, AC3.1, 3.2, M1, M2, M3, D1, D2, D3)
LO3: Understanding of consumer protection legislation in relation to travel
and tourism sector
9

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LO3: Understanding of consumer protection legislation in relation to travel and tourism
sector
AC 3.1: Explanation of contract legislation
in relation to customers in the travel and
tourism sector
The contract Laws of UK related to Tours and Travel
Sector are developed as per the contracts that are made
by the tourists with the organisations providing services
of travel and tourism. The parties entering into the
contract need to have common intentions. Two people
enter into contract when both parties are convinced with
terms and conditions of the contract. The Consumer
Laws of UK, 1990 states that people can enter into
hospitality contracts once all terms and conditions are
accepted by both the consumer and the service provider.
As per the view of Khatoun and Zeadally (2017), the
contracts are legal documents and both parties have to
maintain the terms and conditions as long as they are in
the contract. There are various contracts that are present
like social contracts and commercial contracts. The
social contracts are not enforceable as people can involve
into such contracts as per their own wish. On the other
hand, Commercial Contracts are enforceable as per its
terms and conditions and assumption of the Government.
AC3.2: Explanation of consumer protection
legislation in the travel and tourism sector of
UK
Consumers of UK are protected under several consumer
protection legislations so that they are able to secure their
personal data that they share with the country when they
come for vacations. Few acts of protections of consumers
that are used are
Data Protection Act 2018
The consumers of UK and the tourists that visit the
country through several tourist organisations are
protected as per the legislations of the Data Protection
Act of 2018 (legislation.gov.uk, 2019). The policies of
the acts states that personal data of the customers that
are available with the organisations will be kept
completely for the purpose of the organisation and will
not be shared with any other person without written
consent of the consumer. Further, Loi et al. (2017)
suggested that, the Data Protection Act also protects
the consumers from their personal data being accessed
by other organisations within the country. If any
person is found trying to retrieve the personal data of
consumers without their consent is publishable under
the legislations of the country.
Legislation of Package Holidays and Package Tours
Regulation of 1992
As per the legislations of Package Holidays and
Package Tours Regulations, 1992 it is seen that the
consumers are restricted to the contracts that are
developed by them with their tourism operator. As per
the legislations of the Act, the tour organiser is bound
to provide all the services that had been mentioned in
the contract during the time it was formed. This
prevents service providers to cheat the consumers and
provide them with poor facilities in exchange of the
huge amount of money that has been taken. On the
other hand, in the opinion of Maniatis (2016), it is also
seen that the customers are also under the jurisdiction
of the legislations and have to pay the amount to the
service provider as per the terms and conditions of the
contract so that there is no legal conflict faced.
Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations is
consumer protection legislation as it allows people to
enjoy the services in an uninterrupted manner as per
the contract that had been made and there is no chance
of breaking the contract or the personal information
being shared.

TASK 4 (LO4, AC4.1, 4.2, M1, M2, M3, D1, D2, D3)
LO4: Role of Business ethics in the travel and tourism sector of UK
AC 4.1: Analysis of ethical dilemmas faced by travel and tourism sector
Ethical Dilemmas that are faced by the travel and tourism sector in UK reduces the satisfaction
of customers and reduces the number of tourists visiting the country each year. These ethical
dilemmas that are faced cause a poor image of the country and the governing bodies. Few ethical
dilemmas that are faced by UK are:
Homeless People
People of UK mostly belong to the proper economic level and are able to afford proper living
and shelter for them. However, UK also has homeless people who move around in the streets and
do not practically have proper places to sleep at night. In case of people who are visiting the
country, this causes a poor impression as the image of UK is hampered. According to Bowtell
(2015), a country with such high economy needs to develop sustainable strategies of proper
employments and sustainable sources of living for all people of the country. The government
needs to take measures for the homeless people of the country so that they are able to earn a
living and stay somewhere. Arrangement of homes needs to be done so that they are able to
spend their resting hours in a comfortable manner. Homeless people cause an ethical dilemma
for the tourists and they develop a negative view towards the country.
Animal Souvenirs
In UK, items that are prepared out of dead animal skin and bones are sold at high prices and are
often bought by tourists. However, this causes an ethical dilemma among tourists and they regard
this as an act of cruelty that is shown to an animal. As per the view of Petrevska and Collins-
Kreiner (2017), the government needs to take measures so that these acts of cruelty is stopped
and so that such goods are sold in a restricted manner only to people who want to buy it instead
of selling them in an open manner. This can prevent the people from development a negative
image of UK.
Photography
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