82 TOURISM LAW IN EUROPE take out insolvency insurance. This is currently the only mandatory criterion for becoming a travel agent in Flanders and Wallonia. In Brussels, however, a license is still required. Any person or company that wants to operate a travel agency must have basic management knowledge, meet some requirements and apply for a license. Among the obligations imposed in order to obtain the authorisation are notably the following: the deposit of a guarantee with a deposit and consignment agency or the constitution of a joint and several guarantee with a financial institution or an insurance company; and the subscription to two insurance policies: an insurance policy covering the company’s professional civil liability and an insurance policy covering financial insolvency. With a view to harmonisation between the regions and in order to avoid an unjustified difference between the various travel agencies, it would seem sensible to put an end to the need for a license also in Brussels. As can be seen in Flanders and Wallonia, the absence of a license does not lead to more fraud by travel agencies. The existence of such a license does not seem to be of great necessity. Besides, Belgium being so small, travel agencies can delocalise a few hundred meters to be in Flanders or Wallonia, instead of Brussels to serve the whole country. 5. THE COVID-19 CRISIS AND GOVERNMENT DECISIONS At the present time, it seems almost inconceivable to write an article about tourism without mentioning the COVID-19 health crisis. The tourism sector has definitely been one of the most heavily affected by the health crisis. Between border closures, travel bans, quarantine requirements, vaccination requirements, closure of leisure activities, and so on, this crisis has been a real headache for the travel industry. Many travel agencies and organisers have not survived, seeing their cash flow disappear without any possible financial income because of the many travel difficulties experienced by travellers. Confronted with this crisis, the travel industry has turned to the government in order to obtain the support necessary for their survival. One of the main actions undertaken by the Belgian government to protect the industry’s economic survival was to introduce the so-called “Corona voucher” system.
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