Host companies in Italy are demanding that Danko clients pay for their hotels again; for some tourists, this will be the third payment for their stay, as they purchased their vacation from Natalie Tours, Interfax-Tourism reports, citing the press secretary of the Russian Union of Tourists. tourism industry (PCT) Irina Tyurina.
"The host tour operator Travel Inn requires tourists vacationing in Italy on Danko packages to pay for hotels and transfers again, claiming that the money has not been received from the Russian partner. At the same time, the management of the Italian company understands that the tourists have already paid for their trip, otherwise they would not have received vouchers for accommodation," she said.
Thus, the Volgograd agency "Travel Retail" booked a vacation in Italy for two pensioners in "Natalie Tours", for which they paid about 160 thousand rubles. After all tours of the operator were cancelled, the clients were left with paid air tickets. The agency found for them the Virgilio Grand Hotel 4* on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea plus a transfer - in the company "Danko". The tourists paid about 100 thousand rubles more.
But after Danko announced it was shutting down, the host company, Travel Inn, told tourists they had to pay for their accommodation and transfers because the tour operator had not done so. And customers had to pay for their accommodation for the third time.
"Foreign companies and hotels accept tourists no matter what, expecting that the indebted tour operator will pay up sooner or later. But as soon as it announces a halt to operations, they understand that they will not receive anything and pounce on the guests, demanding money. Moreover, they know that they have no right to do so - neither the host company nor the hotels have any contractual relations with the tourists. Moreover, they understand that the guests have already paid for their trip, otherwise they would not have received vouchers for accommodation and transfer. But they cynically pressure clients, threatening eviction," noted I. Tyurina.
According to her, Travel Inn is not the only one trying to squeeze the debts of its Russian partner out of tourists. Gartour has demanded that tourists in Rome pay for their accommodation, transfers and excursions again.
September 7, tour operator "Danko" stated about termination of activity. From September 8, all tours are cancelled. Tourists who booked and paid for tours for the future period are insured by the insurance company ERV for a total of 50 million rubles.
Tour operator "Danko" has been operating in the market in the field of outbound, inbound and domestic tourism for about 20 years. According to the register of Rostourism, in 2017 it sent 15,353 tourists on vacation abroad.
Source: trn-news.ru