Tour operator "Zhemchuzhnaya Reka" has been removed from the unified federal register, TASS reported, citing an order from the Federal Agency for Tourism.
It is reported that the termination of a tour operator’s activities does not release it from the obligation to fulfill all the terms of the contract, concluded with tourists. The order specifies that the tour operator "Zhemchuzhnaya Reka" (Pearl River)'s failure to fulfill its obligations began on December 8, 2018. Oleg Safonov, head of the Federal Tourism Agency, will oversee compliance with the order. Removing the tour operator from the registry will now allow tourists to receive insurance payments. It was previously reported that "Zhemchuzhnaya Reka" sold tourists tickets to China for non-existent flights.
As a reminder, on December 7, IrAero Airlines, which operated flights for the tour operator Zhemchuzhnaya Reka, announced the suspension of flights from Russian cities to China. As a result, more than 1,500 Russian tourists were stranded on the resort island of Hainan. The airline's representatives cited the cancellation as a $2.3 million debt owed by the tour operator Zhemchuzhnaya Reka for the flights. The tour operator later confirmed the debt and announced it was unable to transport the tourists. The Russian Investigative Committee has opened a criminal investigation into the matter.
IrAero Airlines has pledged to evacuate Russian tourists stranded in China at its own expense. The first flight carrying Russian tourists departed on December 11. The carrier has promised to bring the remaining vacationers home by December 15.
Source: news.turizm.ru
