Amendments to the law on tourism activities, adopted by the State Duma on May 22, came into force on Monday. One of them gives Rostourism the right to remove a tour operator from the unified register before it declares bankruptcy, Interfax reports.
Amendments specify the grounds for terminating a tour operator's membership in an association of tour operators in the field of outbound tourism, as well as the provisions governing the approval of an audit organization and the terms of the agreement for conducting a mandatory audit of the annual financial statements of an association of tour operators.
The amendments grant tour operators the right to apply for exemption from financial support for outbound tourism and payment of contributions to the tour operator's personal liability fund if the tour operator's personal liability fund reaches its maximum. A decision on such an application is made by the association of outbound tour operators in consultation with the authorized federal government body.
If such a decision is made, a tour operator operating in the outbound tourism sector is exempt from financial support for its liability and from paying contributions to the tour operator's personal liability fund until April 1 of the following calendar year, the law states.
As a reminder, a tour operator's personal liability fund is formed in the event that the tour operator's failure to fulfill its obligations is associated with the termination of tour operator activities due to the inability to fulfill all obligations under contracts for the sale of tourism products.
Rostourism also establishes the right to remove tour operators that have ceased operations from the register, even if the unscrupulous tour operator has not publicly announced its cessation of operations. After this, tourists will be entitled to receive compensation for cancelled tours or lost services from the insurance company that insures the tour operator's financial liability.
This new provision is important for cases like the one involving the tour operator Natalie Tours, which on July 4 announced the cancellation of all tours sold until September 30. However, the company remains open, and its CEO claims to be seeking investors to reopen. Natalie's debt to tourists and partners amounts to 1.5 billion rubles. The total number of affected tourists is approaching 30,000. So far, almost none of them have received refunds for their canceled tours.
Also, on September 3, amendments to the "Rules for Providing Emergency Assistance to Tourists" came into effect. According to these amendments, the "Turpomoshch" Association will be able to pay for transportation and accommodation for clients of tour operators who are unable to fulfill their obligations to tourists only after announcing the cessation of their operations. Previously, this provision was not included in the rules.
At the same time, experts believe tourists will continue to receive prompt assistance, as Tourpomoshch already has a proven mechanism for quickly negotiating with carriers and seating tourists in available seats at tour operators.
The State Duma previously noted that the changes are aimed at facilitating law enforcement practices in the interests of market participants and Russian citizens.
Source: trn-news.ru