The chaos caused by the collapse of the Low Cost Travel Group continues, with explanations from the Balearic government adding to the confusion. While it has been said that holidaymakers will face the possibility of having to pay hoteliers if the hoteliers hadn't been paid by Low Cost, the director-general for consumer affairs, Francesc Dalmau, has contradicted this. He says that hotels cannot charge tourists a second time and that they (the hotels) have to pursue claims against the collapsed company.
Dalmau cited Balearic and national law on consumer protection in asserting that the hotels cannot claim from guests. He added that tourists can also count on the European Consumer Centres network "to which all claims go" but has not said anything about payments that have been demanded by hotels and indeed paid. That he made his announcement a week after Low Cost went bust is something to be added to the list of questions to be asked about the government's handling of the affair.
He explained that there isn't yet accurate information as to how many claims have been made against Low Cost, adding that the tourism ministry is now channelling claims so that they can be resolved. He pointed out that there had been problems with claims because information on the Low Cost website was directing people to the government's website - www.caib.es - rather than specifically to the tourism ministry. This has resulted in emails being sent to various divisions of government, such as the ministry for transparency.