Currently, licensing of tourism activities has been canceled, but only those operators who are listed in the federal (state) register are entitled to engage in it. To be registered in it, it is necessary to fulfill a number of requirements that apply to the financial solvency of a participant in the tourist services market.
It is allowed to engage in tourism activities for those tour operators that are included in the Unified Register of Tour Operators of the Russian Federation, which is constantly updated by Rostourism. The last update, which took place recently, in July 2012, was associated with the entry into force of the new edition of the law on tourism. To date, 2313 companies have been included in the updated register. This number includes more than 30 tour operators, whose financial support exceeds 100 million rubles.
For the legitimate implementation of tourist activities in Russia, a tour operator - a legal entity must be included in the register and have a civil liability insurance contract or a bank guarantee for a certain amount. The requirement for financial security is mandatory, but this does not mean that the amount to be negotiated must be in the current account of the organization - the tour operator. This means that the company has entered into an appropriate agreement with an insurance company or bank, which guarantee this financial security.
The required amount of financial security depends on the type of activity, the range of services provided by the operator. This amount cannot be less than the amount established by Federal Law No. 132-FZ of November 24, 1996 "On the Basics of Tourist Activities in the Russian Federation". According to the latest changes in legislation, now the size of the financial guarantee must be at least 12% of the annual revenue of this tour operator.
To enter the state register, newly created tour operator companies must have bank guarantees in the amount of at least 30 million rubles. Guaranteed financial security is not required for those tour operators who provide excursion services within the country for a period of no more than 24 hours in a row. It will not be required for state and municipal unitary enterprises and institutions organizing travel within the territory of the Russian Federation at state rates in order to solve social problems.
