Next, tourists are advised to unhesitatingly refuse goods and services that seem to them to be of poor quality; not to hesitate to compare prices; to request certificates accompanying goods; to remember that all EU countries are obliged to observe equal standards in ensuring food safety.
In case of trouble, Europeans have the opportunity to turn to consumer protection committees and the European Court. However, these are extreme measures: the European Commission hopes they will not be needed, reports EuroNews.
Our northern neighbor, Russia, has also long been talking about the need to draw up a single consolidated memo with recommendations for tourists. For example, St. Petersburg is currently developing a safety memo for foreigners visiting the northern capital. It will contain objective information about the region and conditions of stay there, and recommendations so that the foreign guest feels comfortable. The St. Petersburg Main Internal Affairs Directorate, for its part, proposes to include in the memo institutions where a tourist can turn in case of loss of documents or to obtain a visa to replace the lost one, as well as explanations of what to do if illegal actions are committed against him. Foreign citizens are advised to always carry identity documents, keep money in inside pockets, and not to come into contact with women of easy virtue. In Tallinn, memos are being compiled for travel agencies and hotels in different languages, covering the rights of taxi passengers.
Informing domestic tourists traveling abroad is so far the concern of travel agencies. Travel companies said: "We include in the package of departure documents a memo on almost all of our countries. It contains standard information: country specifics, currency, attractions, behavioral advice." The organizers of bus tours around Europe also earned praise from clients, providing departing tourists with memos about what to stock up on for a comfortable time on the bus itself and what not to do in another country, for example, littering on the streets or behaving indecently.
But many of our travelers consider the information provided to them when leaving the country insufficient. One tourist responded to the question about the need for memos: "Those traveling to the seas, even to such untrodden countries as Lebanon, are given no memos, but they should be! For example, how to get from your tour operator's guide the promised excursion, how not to overpay for a taxi: on the operator's website it says that a trip around Beirut will cost you $3-5, but in reality the city fare is $1, which can only be learned from locals. A tourist can also lose money at the Lebanese airport, because everywhere it is stated that a visa to Lebanon costs $17, but under Lebanese law, a tourist with a hotel voucher can cross the border completely free. And not everyone manages to find out about this in time!"
Clients of travel agencies believe that the latter should arm them with information about all possible nuances that could spoil the impression of a vacation abroad.