Tour operator "Morskaya Zvezda" and travel agency "TurOtdykh" are canceling tickets for charter flights to Bulgaria in August, Interfax reports, citing the Association of Tour Operators of Russia.
From August 1, the travel agency "TurOtdykh" cancelled the tours purchased by its clients. Air tickets to Bulgaria. Due to financial problems, it will not sell tickets until the end of the summer. However, TurOtdykh plans to pay compensation to tourists itself.
"According to the company's director, a total of 20 to 30 applications have been cancelled, each for tickets for two or three people. The exact amount of funds required for compensation payments has not been disclosed," noted in ATOR.
Tour operator Morskaya Zvezda is canceling sold tickets to Bulgaria due to unforeseen circumstances. "The company's guaranteed flight block on the Moscow-Burgas and Burgas-Moscow routes has been revoked until September 9. Tourists are advised to repurchase their tickets, keep their receipts, and submit compensation requests to Morskaya Zvezda," ATOR reported.
Sea Star is listed in the Unified Federal Register of Tour Operators. However, if it ceases operations, tourists who purchased tickets only from the operator will not be eligible for compensation under the financial guarantee—individual tour services, unlike packages, are not covered by insurance.
According to Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR), tourists whose flights to Bulgaria were cancelled will be unable to purchase tickets directly from Bulgaria Air (the carrier leases its aircraft to consolidators), meaning they will have to consider offers from Aeroflot and S7 Airlines. These tickets will cost travelers significantly more in August than seats previously purchased on charter flights.
The situation of clients of TurOtdykha and Morskaya Zvezda also falls outside the jurisdiction of the Tourpomoshch Association. Tourists will have to demand a refund from the service provider and, if necessary, take legal action, RIA Novosti reported. Director of "Tourpomoshch" Alexander Osaulenko. According to him, the reason for the ticket cancellation is simple: overbooking.
"Companies were counting on large tourist flows. These expectations weren't met, so it's easier for sellers to cancel tickets, even with penalties," says Mr. Osauenko.
Source: trn-news.ru