Court convicts travel agency for breach of consumer trust

2026-02-25 - 06:07

Muscat – The competent courts have issued a series of definitive judicial judgments against a travel and tourism establishment following a string of contractual failures that left numerous consumers without promised services. The rulings come after the Consumer Protection Authority (CPA) intervened on behalf of a group of aggrieved clients who reported that the agency failed to execute agreed-upon tourism programmes, cruise trips, hotel reservations, and airline ticket issuances. Under the provisions of the Consumer Protection Law promulgated by Royal Decree No. 66/2014, specifically Article 23, suppliers are legally mandated to provide services properly and in accordance with their inherent nature. When the establishment failed to reach an amicable settlement with the complainants, the CPA referred the cases to the Public Prosecution, which subsequently brought the matter before the judiciary. The court found the accused guilty of the misdemeanor of failing to provide services in a proper manner. In a stern legal response, the First Accused was sentenced to three months of imprisonment. Furthermore, the court imposed fines of RO1,000 for each accused per case, culminating in a total of RO7,000 in fines. To ensure the restoration of consumer rights, the judiciary ordered the supplier to refund the RO7,715 paid by the victims for the unfulfilled services. Additionally, the court awarded RO1,100 in financial compensation for material and moral damages, bringing the total financial liability of the accused to RO15,815. The defendants were also ordered to bear all costs associated with the public action.