Italy has proposed a new law to ensure greater transparency when leaving hotel reviews on travel sites.
Gone are the days of paying for glowing reviews or planting fake negative ones to sabotage the competition.
With this new law, the only thing you’ll have to worry about is having proof of your stay when it’s time to leave a review.
Details of the policy
The proposed law, supported by Daniela Santanchè, Italy’s tourism minister, is poised to better protect the businesses within tourism industry, mandating verification through a valid ID and proof of stay within 15 days of submitting feedback, according to CNN.
The intervention will encompass hotels, restaurants and private venues, with the possibility of expanding to other major global platforms such as Amazon, The Economic Times reports.
The push from the Parliament comes in response to rising false reviews by competitors and hidden advertisements within the industry.
“Today marks an important step for the protection of our businesses,” Santanchè said, as she introduced the legislation, according to CNN. “We are keeping our commitment made in defending the entrepreneurial fabric of Italian tourism by guaranteeing a fair and transparent market.”
Under the new guidelines, negative reviews will remain unaltered for two years. After the two years, the review will only be able to be removed if the issue is “demonstrably addressed,” CNN notes.
The law will also not tolerate any manipulation, outlawing any written positive reviews for incentives or offers.
This law, “which is expected to pass through both houses of parliament unopposed,” according to The Economic Times, will extend to travel review platforms such as Tripadvisor.
“The plague of false reviews has for too long put the catering sector and public establishments at risk, creating economic damage and compromising consumer confidence,” said Roberto Calugi, the business federation Fipe-Confcommercio general director, according to The Guardian.