The Complaint Portal recorded a 24% increase in complaints within the hotel, travel, and tourism sector in the first quarter of the year. There were 315 more complaints compared to the first quarter of 2024, when there were 1,270 complaints.
According to a statement, between the 1st of January and the 31st of March, Travel Reservations and Airline websites were the most targeted subcategories, with Ryanair and TAP receiving the highest volume of airline complaints.
According to data measured by the Complaint Portal, “among the most complained about subcategories are Travel Booking Sites (58.2%) and Airlines (18.8%). In third place are Accommodation Booking Sites (10.2%). This is followed by Marketplaces – Travel, Products and Services (6%). Travel Agencies received 3.4% of the total complaints. Hotels and Hotel Chains came in at 1.4%.”
Undue charging is reported in 53.6% of cases, the source said. The main reasons for consumer complaints addressed to the Tourism sector include complaints about unauthorized charges or debits, billing errors, abusive or duplicate charges, improper automatic renewal, and other inconsistencies relating to payments. This is followed by the lack of quality of service/care (12.9%) and reimbursement difficulties (12%).
Problems with the flight and baggage (cancellation or delay of flights, loss, damage or delays in the delivery of luggage, and difficulties with check-in and boarding processes) generated 8% of complaints, reveals the Complaint Portal. 3.3% of complaints showed dissatisfaction with products and services.
“Among the airlines, Ryanair and TAP maintain the podium of the most complained brands, with the British company absorbing 26% of complaints and the national operator collecting 25%. This is followed by Easyjet (13.3%), STP Airways (3.67%), Vueling (3.67%), and SATA (3%).”
Regarding the entities with the best Satisfaction Index (SI) – an assessment of consumer responsibility – the following Accommodation Booking Sites are highlighted as “with high performance”: Traventia (with 85.2 out of 100 points), Airbnb (83.3), eDreams (81.3) and Destinia (77.6).
In Travel Agencies: the best score goes to Rickytravel with an SI score of 83.1, Top Atlântico with 74 SI and IBS Portugal with 70.8. In Marketplaces – Travel, Products and Services, Odisseias stands out with an SI of 63.4.
Pedro Lourenço, founder of the Complaint Portal, stated that he considers the sector’s reputation has been jeopardized by the lack of customer support, disorganization, and inability to resolve problems, as well as misinformation and regulator apathy.
“We found that complaints addressed to the various players in the Tourism sector have been increasing, from travel agents, booking sites, airlines and hotel chains, for the most varied reasons, however, many consumers point to misinformation and lack of customer support as the main reasons, which reveals disorganisation and inability to solve problems, jeopardising the trust and reputation of the sector. Unfortunately, we continue to see the apathy of regulators, who are powerless in the face of offers published on the internet, namely reservations on digital platforms, which must be combated through actions that increase the digital literacy of consumers.” – he concludes.
