New Russian tour operator declares bankruptcy
...Greek media reports estimated that between 8,000 and 10,000 Russians were stuck on Greek islands. The country's Tourism Ministry said, in a statement: "Greece is a safe and welcoming tourist destination that respects its guests.".....
— 02.08.2014
This post is also available in: Bulgarian
One
of the biggest Russian tour operators will follow the example of “NEVA
TRAVEL” and is in process of bankruptcy. The company in name is
“Ideal-tour”. According to unconfirmed information it is a daughter
company of the notorious LABYRINTH TRAVEL.
NEW: ITAR – TASS announced that this is the first warning that it is a bankruptcy of Labyrinth!
Late last night it became clear that
Ideal Tour can no longer cover the amounts that they owe for the flights
organized by “Orenburg airlines”. They themselves will stop the flights
and the passangers who have already bought tickets might end up
stranded. Thousands of passengers might end up on the airports waiting
for their flights until the problematic situation is resolved.
Approximately 36 flights have been cancelled for the next three days.
Ideal Tour have announced that they are no longer available to pay their
dues in front of the Federal Tourism Agency in Russia. Approximately
7000 passengers will be affected by the bankruptcy and another 25 000
are abroad.
The tour operator Labyrinth operated on
the territory of Bulgaria for the destinations: Sunny Beach, Obzor,
Saint Vlas, Sozopol and Golden Sands.
For a month 3 Russian tour operators declared bankruptcy, from which is the oldest touristic company – NEVA TRAVEL.
Greece: Thousands of Russians Stranded as Tour Operator Labirint Goes Bust
-
By Nigel WilsonAugust 4, 2014 16:11 BST
Greek beach resorts are popular with Russian holidaymakers.(Reuters)
As many as 27,000 Russians have been affected in total after Labirint suspended operations, according to the BBC.
Greek media reports estimated that between 8,000 and 10,000 Russians were stuck on Greek islands. The country's Tourism Ministry said, in a statement: "Greece is a safe and welcoming tourist destination that respects its guests."
However, Russia's Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) has threatened to name hotels that had "mishandled" the situation. Some tourists were reportedly evicted from hotels, while others were apparently refused entry after Labirint's bankruptcy was announced. ATOR would be adding hotels to a "blacklist", it said.
Russian tourists are also thought to be stuck in Turkey, Egypt, Spain, Bulgaria and Cyprus.
Labirint announced it was stopping operations on Saturday and that Turpomoshch (Tour Help) would attempt to help passengers that were stuck.
Related
A spokesperson from Russia's Federal Tourism Agency, Irina Shchegolkova, told a Russian radio station this could be the beginning of a long-term decline for Russia's tourist industry.
"We worry this is only the beginning and that there will be a domino effect," she said on Russian radio station Echo of Moscow, as quoted by Sky News.
Russian tour operators have been badly hit by Western sanctions, which have triggered a collapse in the value of the rouble.
Meanwhile, Aeroflot's low-cost carrier Dobrolet has announced it has suspended operations. The fledgling budget airline is partially owned by the state and began operating flights from Russia to Crimea. The EU added the part-state-owned company to a list of companies it had targeted in sanctions announced in late July.
The European Union and the United States imposed tough economic penalties against Russia after Malaysian passenger airliner MH17 was downed over eastern Ukraine in July.
Western leaders have accused pro-Russian separatists of shooting down the plane with a Russia-supplied missile.
Moscow has accused the Ukrainian military of shooting down the plane