The Russian Union of Travel Industry has sent an appeal to the head of the Ministry of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov and Rostourism asking them to support tour operators working in “closed” areas. According to the RTU’s forecasts, if no measures are taken, with further negative As events develop, a number of companies may leave the market.
The letter notes that against the backdrop of the cessation of sales to destinations in China, Italy, South Korea and Iran, as well as the need to refund travelers for cancelled trips, tour operators are suffering serious losses. For example, according to the Russian Union of Travel Industry (RUT), Chinese hoteliers are in no hurry to return previously paid accommodation fees, citing the fact that Russian companies will be able to use deposits immediately after the destination opens.
"Tour operators must also ensure that air carriers refund funds for already paid air tickets without penalties. In total, at the time of the cessation of tour sales to China, there were about 8,000 organized tourists from Russia, and about 30,000 tours were sold with a sales depth up to and including June of this year. In addition, more than 40,000 trips of tourists from China to Russia with a sales depth up to April 2020 were cancelled," the statement says.
It also notes that Rostourism recommended not to visit China on January 24, 2020, and just a month later, on February 27, a recommendation followed to temporarily suspend the formation and sale of tourism products and individual tourism services to Italy, the Republic of Korea and Iran.
As the Russian Union of Travel Industry emphasized, more than 40 Russian tour operators work in these areas. According to the law, they are “obliged to return a sum of money equal to the total price of the tourist product.”
“The Russian Union of Travel Industry (RUTI) believes that if the situation continues to worsen and other destinations are closed, the Russian tourism industry could suffer serious structural losses, and in the absence of specific government support measures, a number of tour operator companies representing various segments of the tourism market will be forced to cease operations,” the organization emphasized.
Source: trn-news.ru
