The article analyses the effects of digitalisation on the tourism sector, with particular reference to online platforms and Online Travel Agencies. After reconstructing the European regulatory framework shaped by the Digital Services Act and the Platform-to-Business Regulation, it shows that the regulatory qualification of “intermediary” is not, in itself, sufficient to determine the applicable regime of civil liability. The study addresses issues of transparency, recommender systems and profiling in light of the GDPR, as well as the critical aspects related to platforms’ terms of service and the formation of contractual consent. Particular attention is devoted to limitation of liability clauses and their compatibility with the Consumer Code and the Tourism Code. The legal framework governing package travel, by distinguishing between organiser and seller, is adopted as an interpretative benchmark for defining platforms’ liability according to the activity actually performed.
Il contributo esamina l’incidenza della digitalizzazione sul settore turistico, con particolare riguardo alle piattaforme online e alle Online Travel Agencies. Dopo aver ricostruito il quadro normativo europeo delineato dal Digital Services Act e dal regolamento Platform-to-Business, si evidenzia come la qualificazione regolatoria di «intermediario» non sia di per sé sufficiente a definire il regime di responsabilità civilistica. Sono analizzati i profili di trasparenza, i sistemi di raccomandazione e la profilazione alla luce del GDPR, nonché le criticità connesse ai termini del servizio e alla formazione del consenso contrattuale. Specifica attenzione è riservata alle clausole limitative della responsabilità e alla loro compatibilità con il codice del consumo e con il codice del turismo. La disciplina dei pacchetti turistici, distinguendo tra organizzatore e venditore, è assunta quale criterio interpretativo per modulare la responsabilità delle piattaforme in base all’attività concretamente esercitata.
PIATTAFORME DIGITALI, SERVIZI TURISTICI, RESPONSABILITÀ
Lorena Ambrosini
2025-01-01
Abstract
The article analyses the effects of digitalisation on the tourism sector, with particular reference to online platforms and Online Travel Agencies. After reconstructing the European regulatory framework shaped by the Digital Services Act and the Platform-to-Business Regulation, it shows that the regulatory qualification of “intermediary” is not, in itself, sufficient to determine the applicable regime of civil liability. The study addresses issues of transparency, recommender systems and profiling in light of the GDPR, as well as the critical aspects related to platforms’ terms of service and the formation of contractual consent. Particular attention is devoted to limitation of liability clauses and their compatibility with the Consumer Code and the Tourism Code. The legal framework governing package travel, by distinguishing between organiser and seller, is adopted as an interpretative benchmark for defining platforms’ liability according to the activity actually performed.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
