Latvian consumer watchdog fines travel organizer €6,000 for unlicensed Madeira trips

Latvia's Consumer Rights Protection Centre (PTAC) has issued a €6,000 fine against SIA "D6 Group" for offering and selling package travel services without holding the licence required of a tour operator. The regulator also ordered the company to immediately stop the practice.

What the inspection found

PTAC's checks found that D6 Group, through the website advaitaadventures.lv and linked social media accounts, had long been advertising trips to various destinations, including Madeira, Portugal, and Poland's Tatra Mountains. The offers bundled several services — such as transport and accommodation — for a single price, which meets the legal definition of a package travel service. This means the company was effectively acting as a tour operator, despite lacking the required special licence, not being registered in the official database of tourism service providers, and not having secured the mandatory protection for travellers' payments.

Despite earlier warnings from PTAC urging it to bring its operations into compliance, the company continued to publicly offer these packages. When determining the fine, PTAC took into account that the social media profiles involved had reached several thousand followers.

Advice for consumers

Under Latvia's Tourism Law, offering package travel services without a licence and without payment protection is prohibited. PTAC noted that trusting a provider, following them on social media, participating in shared interest groups, or seeing positive reviews does not guarantee any legal consumer protection. Before booking a trip, the agency advises checking whether the provider holds a tour operator licence, is listed in PTAC's database of tourism service providers, and which legal entity is actually party to the contract. Choosing an unlicensed provider risks losing the money paid if the trip cannot be delivered.