Following news of Thomas Cook's demise, Russian tour operator Intourist, whose shares are owned by the British company, made an official statement about its future operations.
"Tour operator INTOURIST carries out its own contracting hotels, has its own financial guarantees, and its own contracted transportation. This means the company will continue to fulfill all its obligations to tourists and partners.
Currently, all departures and arrivals of tourists on charter and scheduled flights operated by the Russian airline are proceeding as planned. Departing tourists are being accommodated in hotels and resorts as planned. There are no cancellations of scheduled flights. Winter flight plans for all announced destinations remain in effect. Relations with tourists are governed by existing contracts.
The company apologizes to all tourists and partners for the inconvenience caused by the negative news. For any questions regarding your upcoming trip, please contact the travel agency where you booked your tour or the tour operator directly," the tour operator's press service stated.
Experts say additional financial guarantees for travel agencies could help alleviate the situation. "Now the market is waiting for Biblio-Globus's response. But for now, we can say that the operational activities of Russian tour operators are in no way connected to the British company—their financial flows are not. Intourist has significantly strengthened its position over the past few years, thanks in part to Thomas Cook," Sergei Agafonov, head of the MGP network, told TRN. However, the expert emphasized that despite all these factors, the agency market remains concerned. "Recalling the situation with Biblio-Globus and Transaero, we can assume that the current situation could be mitigated not only through verbal guarantees but also through additional financial guarantees for travel agents from tour operators. For example, this could include changes in payment terms for booked tours," he noted.
As a reminder, on September 23, British tour operator Thomas Cook announced its voluntary liquidation and the company entered into receivership. The announcement was published on the company's official website.
Source: trn-news.ru