ECTAA Travel Protection Summit: Payment security and sector resilience in focus

• HATTA (Association of Greek Tourist & Travel Agencies) is a member of ECTAA and, as its representative in Greece, shares the following Press Release:

The pan-European Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators ECTAA successfully organized the Travel Protection Summit 2025 on February 19, at the Hilton Grand Place Hotel in Brussels. The event brought together over 140 travel industry professionals, financial experts, policymakers, and technology providers to address the growing challenges in travel protection, including payment security, regulatory compliance,e, and insurance complexity.

Eric Drésin, Secretary General of ECTAA, opened the summit by highlighting the urgent need for businesses to strengthen their risk management strategies in an increasingly complex regulatory and financial environment. His remarks set the stage for in-depth discussions on how the travel industry can enhance financial security, compliance, and consumer protection while maintaining competitiveness.

A keynote address by EU Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas was a special message, highlighting that resilience and competitiveness in the EU travel and tourism sector must go hand in hand with improved protection for passengers and travelers. His speech reinforced the importance of balancing the growth of the sector with stronger safeguards, for both businesses and consumers.

Payment protection emerged as a key topic, with expert presentations shedding light on the four-party model (cardholder, issuer, acquirer, and merchant) and its critical role in managing financial risk. In this highly complex environment, panelists examined the differences between the agent and merchant models, highlighting the advantages of virtual cards in enhancing the security and efficiency of B2B payments in travel. However, it was also acknowledged that there is still significant work to be done to educate the travel industry about payment risks and related protection.

Chargebacks in the travel sector were another central topic of discussion. An interactive dialogue between panelists and the audience provided valuable insights into how travel businesses can manage chargebacks more effectively, reduce financial losses and improve dispute-resolution processes.

Beyond payment security, the session explored the impact of EU legislation and recent European Court of Justice rulings on how businesses need to adapt their protection mechanisms. Speakers highlighted how regulatory changes are forcing companies to reassess their risk management strategies, particularly in the fragmented B2B travel insurance market, where ensuring effective solutions across multiple jurisdictions remains a significant challenge.

Closing the summit, ECTAA Vice President Heli Mäki-Fränti summarized the key points, highlighting the importance of continued collaboration between travel agents, tour operators, financial institutions, and regulators. She also announced the next ECTAA Travel Distribution Summit, which will take place on 10-11 February 2026 in Brussels and will continue the industry dialogue on the future of travel distribution, innovation, and regulatory frameworks.

The ECTAA Travel Protection Summit 2025 was made possible through the generous support of Visa, Mastercard, Chargebacks911, Actuary, and TMU Management, whose contributions highlighted the sector’s collective commitment to enhancing financial security, regulatory compliance, and consumer protection.

About ECTAA

ECTAA represents the interests of 80,000 travel agents and tour operators in Europe, who provide advisory services and sell transport, accommodation, leisure, and other tourism services, as well as combined products, to leisure and professional customers.

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