A new travel startup which allows anyone to become a ‘travel agent’ by booking accommodations for others and pocket a commission has been forced to cease business in one Canadian province.
TRVL’s business model has fallen foul of laws in in Ontario.
TRVL lets unqualified users register and become so-called TRVL agents to book hotels for friends or family and also share a link with their followers to gain business via social media channels.
However this violates the Travel Industry Act as an unregistered company facilitating unqualified travel sellers to do business, Ontario says.
"Anybody who is selling travel in the province … must be employed by or otherwise aligned with a registered travel agency in the province of Ontario," said Travel Industry Council of Ontario president Richard Smart.
TRVL founder Jochem Wijnands hit back.
"We see this type of thing happening everywhere. The legacy professions hide behind certain rules that they think will give them protection," he said.
After various discussions over the legal claims, TRVL has pulled out of Ontario, the first jurisdiction to ban the service.
The TRVL website now has a message which reads: "Due to restrictions set by the Travel Industry Council of Ontario, TRVL is currently not available in Ontario. We are working to resolve this issue soon."
