Tourism and Hotels

Tourism is one of the main drivers of the international economy and the principal source of wealth for many countries. With a new outlook and fresh challenges on the horizon, the sector is setting more ambitious goals, such as furthering the sustainable regeneration of destinations, reducing seasonality, focusing on innovation and digitalization, generating value-added jobs, encouraging greater public-private collaboration, and seeking sustained profitability.

Garrigues offers premium legal and tax advice to operators in the tourism sector.Our Tourism and Hotels service professionals have in-depth knowledge of the complexities of the tourism business and its myriad subsectors, and provide expert legal and tax advice on deals and transactions.

We are a multidisciplinary team that handles and resolves a broad range of issues(tax, corporate/commercial, intellectual property, labor and employment, environmental, antitrust, litigation, data protection, etc.) at the different Garrigues offices worldwide.

We also work closely with institutions and associations on initiatives such as advising on the interpretation or presentation of legislative reforms affecting different jurisdictions.

We have own offices in the key tourism regions, giving us direct, on-the-ground insight into the situation of each client and each destination.

Our services

• Ongoing legal and tax advice relating to the ordinary business of companies in the tourism sector.
• Investment, restructuring or establishment of tourism businesses (hotels, condo-hotels, timeshare arrangements, marinas, yachting and recreational crafts in general, leisure complexes, tourist trade centers, air, sea and land transport, physical and online travel agencies, direct sales and operating platforms, digitalization processes, etc.).
• Joint ventures to create and manage businesses related to tourism in general.
• Vertical integration of tourism business lines (hotel, travel agency, aviation, cruises, etc.).
• Contracts in general and contracts for tourism-related services (hotel management, franchises, hotel leases, combined travel agreements, agency contracts, transportation contracts, aircraft charters, pleasure craft rental, etc.).
• Acquisition of tourism businesses and assets.
• International expansion of tourism businesses: international taxation, contract management and coordination with other law firms we work with regularly.
• Transfer pricing and intragroup transactions.
• Full legal and tax due diligence of tourism businesses and assets in general in acquisitions and finance deals.
• Financing of tourism businesses and assets (asset finance for hotels, vessels, aircraft, etc.).
• Sustainable financing of tourism assets (green, social, sustainability and sustainability-linked bonds).
• Advice to investment vehicles or their managers and to tourism businesses on direct lending transactions, acquisition of hotel assets or businesses with or without operators, etc.
• Acquisition of distressed debt secured by tourism assets/li>
• Litigation relating to tourism activities and deriving from acquisitions and disposals of tourism businesses or assets in general. Lawsuits involving suppliers, customers, etc.
• Transactions relating to distressed businesses in the tourism sector.
• Consumers and users.
• Antitrust (restructuring transactions, acquisition of tourism businesses and assets).
• Executive and employee compensation programs in cases of international assignment.
• Labor and employment matters (hiring of personnel, legislation applicable to foreign workers, employee compensation, disciplinary procedures, purchase of rights from the most senior group of employees, modification of working conditions, preretirement, income plans, individual or collective dismissals, outsourcing of services, flexibility measures, etc.).
• Management of personal data in the activities pursued by tourism businesses, advice on compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation and defense in proceedings.
• Administrative permits and licenses for opening and operating tourism businesses and activities. Administrative review and inspection procedures and appeals filed with the public authorities.
• Public subsidies.
• Environmental law: technical and legal review of tourism businesses and assets.
• Legal design of plans to revitalize mature tourist destinations in collaboration with local governments, entities and business associations.

Hospitality & Leisure Law Blog