After nearly 14 years of monopoly, the Tourism and Travel Mediation sees a competitor enter the very specialized field of amicable resolution of disputes between professionals and travelers.
Indeed, Eurotravel Mediation is now active.
The project was initiated by one of the former high-profile figures of the MTV, who had even been at the origin of its creation in 2011, before leaving the company in May 2025.
“By leaving MTV, I knew there were things to do. I had ideas, projects, and developments in mind to bring about.
There have been exchanges with professionals, with public authorities, but also with consumers and consumer organizations, who shared their difficulties because, in this sector or for a particular company, they do not have access to a mediator.
There is a real need for mediation“, explains Khalid El Wardi, the new tourism mediator since September 2026.
Between ideas, implementation and the creation of a mediation, here is the path traveled.
Indeed, Eurotravel Mediation is now active.
The project was initiated by one of the former high-profile figures of the MTV, who had even been at the origin of its creation in 2011, before leaving the company in May 2025.
“By leaving MTV, I knew there were things to do. I had ideas, projects, and developments in mind to bring about.
There have been exchanges with professionals, with public authorities, but also with consumers and consumer organizations, who shared their difficulties because, in this sector or for a particular company, they do not have access to a mediator.
There is a real need for mediation“, explains Khalid El Wardi, the new tourism mediator since September 2026.
Between ideas, implementation and the creation of a mediation, here is the path traveled.
How does one become a tourism mediator?
Creating a mediation company involves several steps.
“The practical implementation and the creation of the structure were very rapid.
Having spent ten years at MTV and having participated in its creation, I knew the steps. I also know what works and what doesn’t, what needs to be improved, but also the dispute-resolution software.
The creation phase was therefore quite fast.
After that, the crucial step was obtaining approval, which depends on submitting a file and an audition before the CECMC, the Commission for Evaluation and Control of Consumer Mediation.
It evaluates whether the mediator possesses the knowledge, the skills and the independence necessary to perform the role. It also assesses the viability of the scheme“, explains him.
Once this step is completed, there is nothing left to do!
That is how Eurotravel Mediation was created. The next step is to contract with the various tourism operators that do not have a mediator, something essential.
“Professionals realize that they have an obligation to appoint a mediator, even though this has been in force for ten years now.
There are also organizations that did not feel concerned by this obligation, notably those headquartered outside the European Union. But that is not the case.
Thus, a number of companies do not have a mediator, so clients cannot benefit. We will have signings coming soon“, we confide Khalid El Wardi.
“The practical implementation and the creation of the structure were very rapid.
Having spent ten years at MTV and having participated in its creation, I knew the steps. I also know what works and what doesn’t, what needs to be improved, but also the dispute-resolution software.
The creation phase was therefore quite fast.
After that, the crucial step was obtaining approval, which depends on submitting a file and an audition before the CECMC, the Commission for Evaluation and Control of Consumer Mediation.
It evaluates whether the mediator possesses the knowledge, the skills and the independence necessary to perform the role. It also assesses the viability of the scheme“, explains him.
Once this step is completed, there is nothing left to do!
That is how Eurotravel Mediation was created. The next step is to contract with the various tourism operators that do not have a mediator, something essential.
“Professionals realize that they have an obligation to appoint a mediator, even though this has been in force for ten years now.
There are also organizations that did not feel concerned by this obligation, notably those headquartered outside the European Union. But that is not the case.
Thus, a number of companies do not have a mediator, so clients cannot benefit. We will have signings coming soon“, we confide Khalid El Wardi.
Eurotravel Mediation aims to address MTV’s weaknesses
If he launched it, it wasn’t out of vanity, but because he observed a number of issues that led him to think a market could open up to him.
“On the consumer side, I was told that processing of cases took a little time, and the idea of mediation is to obtain a response that is indeed free, but above all fast.
And on the professionals’ side, the idea is to facilitate access to mediation and to ensure that professionals also play along, by offering filing fees or a mediation cost that is less prohibitive.
We want to offer a more efficient and faster system, all at reasonable prices“, explains the new tourism mediator.
Thus, the price is set at 60 euros per file, excluding taxes. This applies to admissible cases. A amount that would be far from current practices.
With this, one could capture market shares, as even the main stakeholder admits, even if that is not the primary aim.
This conquest will also involve a more digitized journey than in the past.
“We have really made a major effort on the digital tool, which will integrate, in certain parts of the procedures, AI, especially for tasks such as file sorting, document compilation, summarizing the facts, etc. ” reveals Khalid El Wardi.
“On the consumer side, I was told that processing of cases took a little time, and the idea of mediation is to obtain a response that is indeed free, but above all fast.
And on the professionals’ side, the idea is to facilitate access to mediation and to ensure that professionals also play along, by offering filing fees or a mediation cost that is less prohibitive.
We want to offer a more efficient and faster system, all at reasonable prices“, explains the new tourism mediator.
Thus, the price is set at 60 euros per file, excluding taxes. This applies to admissible cases. A amount that would be far from current practices.
With this, one could capture market shares, as even the main stakeholder admits, even if that is not the primary aim.
This conquest will also involve a more digitized journey than in the past.
“We have really made a major effort on the digital tool, which will integrate, in certain parts of the procedures, AI, especially for tasks such as file sorting, document compilation, summarizing the facts, etc. ” reveals Khalid El Wardi.
“Having several mediators in tourism is a classic case in Europe”
AI will be present, but it will never make any decision nor render any opinion. Only the mediator will do so.
“One of the specifics of mediation, beyond handling certain cases that would be purely legal, is that we apply fairness.
Sauf que l’IA n’est pas capable de le faire.
I will be the sole mediator, but very quickly, the system will be strengthened by the arrival of jurists. Knowing that we have set quotas, because I know what a single person can handle.
Systematically, as soon as we approach that maximum activity level, we will reinforce our teams accordingly“, asserts the mediator.
While the Consumer Code provides a 90-day period between the acceptance of a file and the issuing of an opinion, some mediations do not meet the deadlines.
If the first contracts are expected soon, as well as the first cases, Eurotravel Mediation is not an isolated case in the ecosystem.
“In general, having several mediators in tourism is a common practice in Europe. In Germany, there are two mediators in air travel, in Great Britain the same and even a bit more in Spain.
I don’t know how the Tourism and Travel Mediation will personally, or not personally, react to our creation, but the idea isn’t to steal their members.
It’s mainly about ensuring that those who, today, do not have a mediator at all can get on track“, attempts the former MTV employee to defuse.
And the cake seems large enough to share between the two competitors.
As Jean-Pierre Mas revealed to us, in 2025 MTV handled 16,558 complaints. Moreover, because of the decree that requires first a mediation attempt in the context of an aviation dispute, this figure should more than double.
The number of files, just for air travel, should rise from 12,000 in 2025 to more than 30,000 in 2026. And that does not count all those that slip through the radar.
“One of the specifics of mediation, beyond handling certain cases that would be purely legal, is that we apply fairness.
Sauf que l’IA n’est pas capable de le faire.
I will be the sole mediator, but very quickly, the system will be strengthened by the arrival of jurists. Knowing that we have set quotas, because I know what a single person can handle.
Systematically, as soon as we approach that maximum activity level, we will reinforce our teams accordingly“, asserts the mediator.
While the Consumer Code provides a 90-day period between the acceptance of a file and the issuing of an opinion, some mediations do not meet the deadlines.
If the first contracts are expected soon, as well as the first cases, Eurotravel Mediation is not an isolated case in the ecosystem.
“In general, having several mediators in tourism is a common practice in Europe. In Germany, there are two mediators in air travel, in Great Britain the same and even a bit more in Spain.
I don’t know how the Tourism and Travel Mediation will personally, or not personally, react to our creation, but the idea isn’t to steal their members.
It’s mainly about ensuring that those who, today, do not have a mediator at all can get on track“, attempts the former MTV employee to defuse.
And the cake seems large enough to share between the two competitors.
As Jean-Pierre Mas revealed to us, in 2025 MTV handled 16,558 complaints. Moreover, because of the decree that requires first a mediation attempt in the context of an aviation dispute, this figure should more than double.
The number of files, just for air travel, should rise from 12,000 in 2025 to more than 30,000 in 2026. And that does not count all those that slip through the radar.
“The professional must be willing to engage in mediation”
“An important criterion, regarding the companies with whom we will sign, is to say that we will not simply act as a mere approval stamp by saying: ‘You have a mediator, you are covered, the DDPP will not bother you.’
We want the professional to agree to play along and participate in mediation when there are consumer requests.
He certainly is not obliged to accept our opinions or our recommendations, but at least he should engage in the mediation, and we should see the process through to the end.
We will be a bit selective. The idea is to carry out mediation that is indeed fast, but of high quality“, concludes Khalid El Wardi.
Although costly, resorting to mediation can also help improve the relationship and customer satisfaction by defusing potential costly legal proceedings in terms of time, money and reputation.
We want the professional to agree to play along and participate in mediation when there are consumer requests.
He certainly is not obliged to accept our opinions or our recommendations, but at least he should engage in the mediation, and we should see the process through to the end.
We will be a bit selective. The idea is to carry out mediation that is indeed fast, but of high quality“, concludes Khalid El Wardi.
Although costly, resorting to mediation can also help improve the relationship and customer satisfaction by defusing potential costly legal proceedings in terms of time, money and reputation.
