Rules relating to brochure prices will not be affected by the repeal of most existing UK consumer protection regulations next April.
Section 5 of the Package Travel Regulations, requiring brochure prices to be accurate, will remain in force.
Travel industry lawyer Stephen Mason called for the Government to rethink. “The package industry is at a disadvantage against web retailers because it is an offence to raise prices published in a brochure. It distorts the market – and is one of the reasons for the success of the low-cost carriers.”
He said a failure to enforce the regulations was encouraging other firms to break the law.
“Trading Standards continually talks about enforcing Section 5 and said tour operators must comply, but appears to do nothing,” he said.
“People are being forced to break the law by the lack of enforcement.”