Your tour got cancelled by the operator. Here's how refunds work

Marketplace rules, the EU rules that apply to a single tour (and the one that doesn't), what to ask the operator, and the Lapland cold cut-offs.

Aino team13 October 2026, 9 min read

Aino publishes this guide and is building a trip planning app of its own, launching in winter 2027. Every other app here is described from its own site and store listings, with prices dated.

What happens when the operator cancels on a marketplace

On GetYourGuide and Viator your contract is with the operator, and the platform acts as its agent. Both sets of terms spell out what happens when the operator pulls out, and both are more generous to you than the rules for cancelling yourself.

One point of friction worth knowing about. Viator's terms also say (18.4) that the Viator companies themselves make no refund for cancellations or force majeure beyond their control, while 18.8 says mandatory consumer rights in the UK and EU are unaffected. In practice the clause to quote is 16.1, together with whatever the listing itself says about weather. For the rules on cancelling a Viator booking yourself, see Viator's cancellation policy explained.

What the EU rules say about a single cancelled tour

Three things are worth separating, because they get mixed up in forum answers.

The Package Travel Directive (2015/2302) is the strong one, and it doesn't apply here. It covers packages and linked travel arrangements, meaning combinations of at least two travel services. Its recital 15 says that buying one travel service on its own is neither a package nor a linked travel arrangement. A husky safari booked by itself, even alongside a flight and hotel booked separately somewhere else, is normally a single service. So the package rules on refunds within 14 days and the insolvency protection don't apply to it. We're saying this carefully because the line between a single service and a linked arrangement can get technical, and if you bought several things through one seller in one go, it may be worth asking a consumer advice service.

The Consumer Rights Directive (2011/83) is the one with the 14 day cooling-off period for online purchases, and it has an exception that matters: leisure activities, accommodation, transport and catering booked for a specific date or period are excluded (article 16, point l). That exception is about you changing your mind. It says nothing about the operator cancelling, so it doesn't reduce your claim when they do.

What's left is ordinary contract and consumer law in the country of the seller or the consumer. The general principle across the EU, and in the Finnish Consumer Protection Act that applies to Lapland operators, is that if you've paid for a service and the trader doesn't provide it, you're entitled to your money back. Both marketplaces' terms also say mandatory consumer rights can't be excluded. For a cross-border case, the European Consumer Centre in your country gives free advice; in Finland that's ECC Finland, alongside the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority's consumer advice.

What to ask the operator

Whether you booked direct or through a marketplace, put these in one short email and keep the thread.

1. Why was it cancelled, and when was the decision made? Weather, low numbers and operational problems can carry different terms.
2. Can you give me a new date, and which ones are available? A new slot on a day you can make is often better than a refund in peak season, when everything else is full.
3. If I can't make any of those, confirm a full refund to my original payment method.
4. When will the refund be sent? Ask for a date, not "soon".
5. If the tour went ahead in a shortened form, what part of the price is being refunded? Lapland operators sometimes run a shorter ride in extreme cold, and some set a fixed partial refund for that.

If you booked through a marketplace, send the same questions to the marketplace, and quote the clause: GetYourGuide 16.4.1 or Viator 16.1. The marketplace holds your money as the operator's agent, so it's the one that presses the refund button.

If the refund doesn't come: chargeback as a last resort

A chargeback asks your card issuer to reverse the payment. The European Consumer Centres Network's report on chargeback in the EU and EEA sets out how it works and where its limits are:

• Complain to the trader in writing first. Banks expect to see that you tried.
• If the trader doesn't reply, refuses or has gone bust, send a written complaint to your card issuer. Non-delivery of a paid service is one of the standard grounds.
• Chargeback is a way to recover money, not a legal right you can insist on. The bank decides, and for debit cards it relies on the card scheme's rules rather than EU law.
• Act quickly. The ECCs reported a general limit of around three months from the transaction in practice, and card schemes set their own deadlines.
• If the bank refuses, the report points you to the relevant alternative dispute resolution body.

Keep the cancellation notice, the listing's cancellation wording, your payment receipt and every email. That file is what a bank or a consumer centre will ask for.

Weather cancellations in Lapland: the cold cut-offs

Rovaniemi winter activities get cancelled for two main reasons: cold and numbers. Cold is the operator's call, and the thresholds vary. Bearhill Husky, a kennel outside Rovaniemi, says on its own FAQ that temperatures from just below zero to minus 35 Celsius are possible, that it adapts the programme when it gets colder than guests can safely handle, that tours below minus 30 are only for "diehards", and that below minus 35 it cancels because the trip benefits neither the dogs nor the guests. It also advises caution for infants below minus 20. Its FAQ doesn't say whether a cancelled tour is refunded or moved, which is exactly the thing to ask before you book.

Numbers are the quieter risk. The GetYourGuide husky listing we checked for our GetYourGuide vs booking direct comparison needs 2 participants on weekdays and Saturdays and 4 on Sundays and holidays, and promises a full refund if the minimum isn't reached. Book a Sunday morning in quiet March and you're relying on three strangers.

Before you book a winter activity, ask the operator or check the listing for:

• The temperature at which they cancel, and whether wind counts.
• Whether a cold cancellation means a refund, a new slot, or a shorter ride at a partial refund.
• The minimum group size and how late they decide.
• How they'll tell you. GetYourGuide's terms say it may phone and email at short notice; an operator may only email.

For what to book early and what can wait, see Lapland winter activities: book ahead or on the day. Leaving one empty morning in a three day trip gives a cancelled tour somewhere to land.

A checklist before you book any tour

• Screenshot the cancellation section of the listing on the day you book.
• Note who you have the contract with and who holds your money.
• Check whether the operator's own site states cold or weather rules the listing leaves out.
• Pay by card rather than bank transfer if you can, so chargeback stays available.
• Keep one flexible slot in the trip for a rebooked activity.

Frequently asked questions

Do I get a refund if the tour operator cancels?

Usually yes. GetYourGuide's terms say the booking price is refunded when the supplier cancels for reasons beyond its control, such as weather. Viator's terms give a full refund if the supplier makes a material change and you turn down the alternative. Booked direct, the operator's own terms apply, and a paid-for service that isn't delivered is normally refundable under consumer law. This is general information; check your booking terms.

GetYourGuide tour cancelled: how do I get my money back?

GetYourGuide's terms (section 16.4.1) say that when a supplier cancels an activity because of circumstances beyond its control, the booking price is refunded, to your original payment method or a refund gift card if you prefer. If the refund doesn't show up, contact GetYourGuide through its help centre, which its terms say answers within 48 hours at the latest.

My activity was cancelled because of weather. Do I get a refund?

On GetYourGuide, adverse weather is named in the terms as a reason the supplier can cancel, with the booking price refunded. On Viator, check the listing's own wording and section 16.1 of the terms. Direct, read the operator's terms. Many Lapland operators offer a new date or a refund, and one Rovaniemi kennel says it cancels below minus 35 Celsius.

Does the EU Package Travel Directive protect a single cancelled tour?

No. The directive covers packages and linked travel arrangements, and it says a single travel service bought on its own is neither. A stand-alone tour is covered by general consumer law in the country concerned instead, and by the platform's or operator's terms.

Can I do a chargeback for a cancelled tour?

As a last resort, yes. The European Consumer Centres Network says to complain to the trader in writing first, then ask your card issuer if the trader doesn't refund. Chargeback is a card scheme procedure rather than a consumer right, time limits apply, and the bank decides.

Sources

1. GetYourGuide, General Terms and Conditions, version 1 October 2025 (sections 6, 10, 16), accessed 13 October 2026
2. GetYourGuide, Rovaniemi: Husky Safari with 1, 5, 10 and 20 KM Options (minimum participants rule), accessed 13 October 2026
3. Viator, Terms of Use, last updated 30 November 2025 (sections 10, 13, 16, 18), accessed 13 October 2026
4. Viator Help Center, Cancellation Policy, accessed 13 October 2026
5. Viator Supplier Agreement (Terms and Conditions version 4.0), SEC exhibit 10.26 (supplier cancellation obligations), accessed 13 October 2026
6. Directive (EU) 2015/2302 on package travel and linked travel arrangements, recitals 15 and 18, accessed 13 October 2026
7. Directive 2011/83/EU on consumer rights, Article 16 (exceptions to the right of withdrawal), accessed 13 October 2026
8. Your Europe, Guarantees and returns (cooling-off period and its exceptions), accessed 13 October 2026
9. ECC-Net, Chargeback in the EU/EEA (report hosted by the European Commission), accessed 13 October 2026
10. Bearhill Husky, Frequently asked questions (cold weather cut-offs), accessed 13 October 2026