A new law in Italy will make it harder to leave a bad review about your trip as tourists will have to provide proof.
The country wants to force holidaymakers to verify their stay or visit when they take to a travel platform to complain. And they will be required to post their comments within two weeks of the visit in question.
The proposed law, which is currently being debated in the Italian parliament, is in response to the country saying they have been plagued with fake reviews and unfair practices.
Reviews on sites such as Tripadvisor, would have to be verified by uploading ID and proof of the visit before tourists can leave negative, or even positive, feedback, reports travelandtourworld.com.
The draft law is being backed by Italy’s tourism minister, Daniela Santanchè, who said: “Today marks an important step for the protection of our businesses.”
It would also give establishments the right to reply to negative reviews and even to request their removal after two years if they can show they’ve addressed the issues raised.
Even glowing testimonies will have to be verified if the law passes. It would make it illegal to pay someone to write a positive review or to offer discounts to secure good feedback. It would be overseen by the Italian Communications Regulatory Authority.
The initial bill focuses on hotels, restaurants and private tourist sites but it could be expanded to include other services. There have been calls for the law to also extend to social media platforms where unverified reviews are also posted.
It is expected the law will pass through parliament unopposed and Italy will be the first country in Europe to impose such measures.
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