Tourism-related grievances surged by 21% during the first half of the year
In the bustling world of travel and tourism, 2025 has seen a surge in complaints from disgruntled travellers. According to Pedro Lourenço, founder of the Complaints Portal, these complaints are directed at various players in the sector, including travel agents, booking sites, airlines, and hotel chains.
The data reveals that hotels accounted for 2.43% of cases, while airports accounted for 1.89% of occurrences. However, the most significant concerns lie in the digital sphere, where unauthorized charges, communication failures, and security issues have become prevalent.
Unauthorized charges, often hidden resort fees or non-transparent service fees in hotels and entertainment venues, have been the main reason for complaint, representing 57.24% of the complaints presented. Vacation rental scams and timeshare resale scams are prominent, with scammers posing as legitimate agents, taking advance payments for non-existent or occupied properties, and demanding upfront fees for timeshare sales that never occur.
Furthermore, tourists increasingly report being "nickel and dimed" for resort and parking fees ranging from $40 to $60, contributing to a perception of poor value and causing some traditional tourist segments to avoid such destinations. Popular destinations like Las Vegas face sharp declines in tourism partly due to these rising hidden fees and expensive dining and entertainment costs.
Communication failures between travelers and booking agents or property owners, made worse by fraudulent listings and unreliable contact from scammers, have also been a significant issue. The Better Business Bureau’s Scam Tracker logged over 9,400 complaints by mid-2025, especially tied to fake rental listings and timeshare fraud where communication breakdowns and untraceable payments exacerbate traveler frustration.
Security and health issues reported at accommodations, such as bedbug problems, leading to legal representation and public concern, add to overall security and trust issues. These factors illustrate a turbulence in the 2025 travel landscape, where booming demand coexists with growing consumer protection and trust challenges on booking and rental sites.
Interestingly, female consumers represent 55.80% of tourism complaints, with the most represented age group being 25 to 34 years old. Lourenço suggested that increasing digital literacy among consumers could help combat issues on digital platforms. He also expressed concern over the apathy of regulators in addressing issues related to tourism complaints on digital platforms.
The city of Porto accounts for 16.79% of tourism complaints, while the city of Lisbon accounts for 33.53%. The Complaints Portal received over 3,500 complaints in the Tourism Sector in the first half of 2025, a 21% increase from the same period last year. Among the most complained about segments are Travel Booking Sites (50.04%), Airlines (19.70%), Accommodation Booking Sites (11.40%), Marketplaces - Travel, Products, and Services (6.15%), and Travel Agencies (3.58%). Flight and reservation cancellations/delays account for 6.38% of complaints, while data security failures and reports of possible fraud account for 7.71%. Poor company conduct accounts for 7.37% of complaints, with communication/information failures accounting for 9.91%.
In conclusion, the increase in tourism complaints in 2025 centres on unauthorized charges, communication failures, and security issues. As the travel industry continues to evolve, addressing these challenges will be crucial to maintaining consumer trust and confidence.
Sources: [1][2][3]
What about the potential impact of lifestyle changes on travel preferences in light of these complaints?Has anyone considered investigating how seemingly widespread issues in the digital travel sector might be affecting the preferred lifestyle choices of many modern travelers?
