Natalie Tours CEO Vladimir Vorobyov announced that he would be canceling confirmed tours for his clients, as he "does not have control over the situation with partners," Interfax reports.
“There is a problem now that due to negative information "We've been unable to fulfill our obligations to our partners for the past few days, and they've been cutting off Natalie Tours' service on a rolling basis. We see no other course of action but to begin canceling the services we've already confirmed," he said on Ekho Moskvy radio on Wednesday.
He also announced that he plans to hold a briefing on Wednesday to discuss the issues that have arisen. "We cannot send tourists back in the near future, as we are unable to control the situation with our partners, so we are forced to cancel tours. We will decide within the day what steps we will take next," added the head of Natalie Tours.
According to the operator's website, all orders/services will be cancelled for the period from July 4, 2018, through September 30, 2018. The company's operations are continuing as normal.
"Tourists with valid tickets for scheduled flights and visas will be able to use these services in full at their discretion. Information on the compensation payment procedure and various ways to interact with agents on this matter will be provided later today, following a meeting with the heads of major travel chains," the company noted.
Irina Tyurina, press secretary for the Russian Union of Travel Industry (RUTI), reported on Wednesday that a meeting between the management of one of the agency chain's management companies and the head of Natalie Tours took place on Tuesday. "The parties agreed that the management company will soon send the tour operator a list of problematic requests for refunds. V. Vorobyov confirmed his desire to refund booked tours, but stated that a refund timeline is currently impossible to determine," she said.
I. Tyurina added that, according to the head of Natalie Tours, the total number of the tour operator's clients who will be unable to take advantage of their paid tours in July reaches 1,500.
It was previously reported that hoteliers are refusing to accommodate the tour operator's clients in Spain, Italy, Turkey, Cyprus, and other countries because Natalie Tours has failed to transfer funds for these tourists.
On Monday, V. Vorobyov called on agencies working with Natalie Tours to support their partner in this difficult situation, urging them to be "understanding and patient." He stated that he is trying to minimize the inconvenience for the company's clients by finding new host partners to replace those who refused to work with the tour operator due to non-payment.
Natalie Tours cancelled charter flights to four countries—Spain, Italy, Greece, and Turkey—as of June 30, citing a need to reduce costs from flying under-loaded aircraft due to declining charter demand.
Source: trn-news.ru