Are you thinking of organizing a group trip? Certain activities are restricted to travel agents who are licenced in Québec. However, there are 2 specific situations where you can take charge of organizing group travel.
Activities restricted to travel agencies
In many instances, organizing a group trip must be done by a travel agency. The agency must handle reservations for accommodations and transportation, and collect payment from travellers. In this way, travellers benefit from financial protection, such as the protection provided by the Compensation Fund for Customers of Travel Agents.
Organizing travel on a voluntary basis
You can organize a group trip if you do so at no charge. You must not derive any benefits. For example, you cannot:
- receive a sum of money;
- receive the trip at a reduced rate or free of charge.
No fees can be required of the travellers to cover organizing the trip. Travellers share the real transportation and accommodation costs, i.e. the amount that is billed to the organizer.
Organizing a short occasional trip in Québec
You can organize a group trip if it meets all of the following conditions:
- It is occasional, i.e. it does not take place regularly (such as every Friday in the fall, at the end of each school year, every month, etc.).
- It takes place in Québec.
- It lasts:
- under 72 hours, if the trip is being arranged by a business, company or association and is limited solely to its employees or members;
- under 48 hours in all other cases.
Therefore, the services of a travel agency are required for organizing the following travel.
| Examples of trips |
Reasons why you must go through a travel agency |
| An art history professor plans a four-day trip for his students every year to visit museums in New York. |
The trip is offered on a regular basis (every year) and takes place outside Québec. |
| The Trois-Rivières golden age club is organizing a week-long trip to the Îles-de-la-Madeleine for club members. |
The trip is being organized by an association for its members and lasts more than 72 hours. |
| A hockey club will be participating in a tournament for a week in Western Canada. Each participant must pay to cover the travel costs of the players and coaches. |
The trip lasts more than 48 hours, is outside Québec and participants are being charged an organization fee. |
Licenced travel agencies
To ensure that the travel agency with which you are doing business holds a licence from Québec, use the Renseignez-vous sur un commerçant tool (in French).