They cannot return money for failed tours to tourists.
According to the newspaper Izvestia, November 12 representatives of Russian tourist organizations sent a secondary letter to the head of the Cabinet of Ministers Mikhail Mishustin, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko and head of the Federal Tourism Agency Zarina Doguzova with a request to extend the Russian government decree requiring tour operators to pay debts to tourists for purchased but not taken tours until December 31 this year.
The travel business reminds that most of the tourist destinations in the world are still closed to tourists from Russia due to the pandemic, which does not allow fulfilling the obligations to those who bought tours in 2020, but could not rest abroad even this year.
Over 60% of tour operators from the Unified Federal Register are at risk of bankruptcy. Representatives of medium and small tourism businesses, who, before the coronavirus pandemic, specialized in tours to China, Southeast Asia, and European countries, are in an extremely difficult situation.
Tour operators cannot fulfill their obligations. Only a part of the tours were transferred to other directions, but over 50% of paid tours are still not implemented. Tourists are waiting for a refund, but the companies do not have funds, since foreign partners put them into circulation.
“There is no such mechanism to demand money back, this is a worldwide practice. That is, travelers are ready to take on vacation, but it is impossible to physically return the money to them, ”explained the vice-president of the Russian Union of Travel Industry.
Tour operators currently owe their clients about 25 billion rubles.