This year, the Confconsumatori Tourist Desk is also accessible online. Here’s how to get assistance, request refunds and what changes with the new rules on holiday packages and travel policies
Canceled flight, endless train delay, hotel different from the one booked, lost luggage. Whatever the unexpected that risks ruining your holidays, something can be done. Consumers have rights that they often don’t know about. This is why it reopens again for this summer Confconsumatori Tourist Deskto give free assistance to those who have problems with travel, transport and holiday packages. And the novelty of 2026 is that, in addition to the historical channels (telephone and local branches), for the first time the service can also be accessed online. This way you can act immediately, even if you are already traveling. And what’s more, from 19 June, there are news related to the changes to the Consumer Code, which closely concern those who purchase online travel packages and policies.
How the Tourist Desk works and how to contact it online
The Tourist Desk is a free information, consultancy and assistance service active throughout Italy throughout the summer, on tourist packages, air, rail, naval and motorway transport. You can ask for help by telephone or in person at the local offices of Confconsumatori, or, from this year, also online. How is it done? You go to the platform, select the type of problem from those proposed in “Choose a topic” and briefly describe the situation, specifying what type of help you are looking for (information, advice, assistance with a complaint). You can attach documents such as receipts, emails, photos of the outage. At this point, we await feedback from the association: assistance is reserved for members; therefore, if the request can be taken care of, the response from Confconsumatori will provide the instructions for registering (do not register before receiving the response).
It is important to remember that, by choosing the online help desk, assistance will only be via e-mail. The two paths, online and in person, are alternatives. And anyone who has been the victim of a digital or online scam, however, must contact the dedicated «Smacco alla Fraffa» channel, where they receive initial assistance free of charge.
The 2026 regulatory changes for consumers: withdrawal and travel policies
From 19 June 2026, some rules of the Consumer Code have changed. The least favorable news for travelers concerns the travel or baggage policies short-term (with a duration of less than a month) purchased online: it is no longer possible to exercise the right of withdrawal once the contract has been signed. However, the right to withdraw from the online purchase of an item remains valid and is strengthened tourist package within 5 days from the conclusion of the contract (or from the receipt of the contractual conditions, if later), without having to provide reasons. It is a shorter term than the 14 days generally foreseen for distance contracts, but specific for tourism. And it becomes mandatory for sites that want to have a withdrawal button clear and accessible on the same page as the purchase, to exercise the right quickly.
Practical guide: what to do in case of disruption during the trip
In addition to the regulatory changes, the “classic” protections that travelers can appeal to in the event of problems remain valid. Who buy online packages, hotels, holiday homes or tickets must be especially careful about services that are different or worse than those promised, extra costs incurred after payment, refunds denied even when the withdrawal is legitimate, and outright scams with services that don’t actually exist. A good way to protect yourself is to check, before purchasing, that the site clearly indicates who the seller is and how to contact him, what exactly the service includes and the total price, including all expenses. No hidden costs should appear after payment. However, clauses which limit the seller’s liability in the event of problems, which move the competent court away from the buyer’s residence, or which provide for excessively high penalties are always void.
For i tourist packages (travels, holidays and “all-inclusive” circuits) a simple rule applies: if the tour operator or agency does not respect what was promised, the consumer is entitled to a discount on the price paid or to compensation, which may also include the so-called “ruined holiday” damage.
On the front flightsif the company cancels the departure, it must offer, at the passenger’s choice, a refund of the ticket or an alternative flight. In addition, you are always entitled to assistance at the airport and financial compensation between 250 and 600 euros, depending on the distance of the route. The same rights apply even in the event of a delay of more than three hours or overbooking, when the plane has more passengers than available seats.
For i luggage damaged, lost or delivered late, timeliness is essential: you must immediately fill out the PIR form at the «Lost & Found» office at the airport, and then submit a written complaint within 7 days if the suitcase is damaged or lost, within 21 days if it only arrived late.
Finally, also for the train travel delays and cancellations give the right to compensation, which must be requested by referring to both the Consumer Code and the European Regulation dedicated to rail passengers.
