While on vacation outside their country, Russian citizens quite often during tourist trips have to face unforeseen circumstances that darken their vacation. In early July 2012, the Russian government approved amendments to the law on tourism. The amendments provide for the creation of a special compensation fund, which will allow, in the event of bankruptcy of travel agencies, to pay for hotel services and return tourists to Russia.
The amendments made to the law "On the fundamentals of tourist activity in the Russian Federation" oblige tour operators providing outbound tourism to increase the amount of financial guarantees from the existing 100 million rubles. up to 12% of annual revenue. In fact, the size of guarantees for small companies has decreased, and increased only for large players in the tourism industry.
The amendments proposed by the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation also provide that tourists are provided with guarantees of payment for medical care at the expense of insurance contracts. The law will give the travel agent and tour operator the right to take out insurance, even if they are not agents of the insurance company. It is assumed that such a solution should simplify the procedure for obtaining a policy.
Experts in the field of tourism business believe that the implementation of amendments to the law on tourism will not in any way affect the amount of payments from tourists. The new requirements can be considered formal in many respects, because travel agencies seek to insure traveling citizens in the amount of about $ 30 thousand, and cases when the amount of insurance coverage is fully paid are quite rare.
Maya Lomidze, Director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, calls the initiative of the Ministry of Finance a positive and long-awaited step for tourists. Now there should be no situations when a vacationer urgently needs to leave, and there is not enough money for insurance. A standard week-long tour can only add a few dollars in value, which is not a high price to pay for a guarantee of emergency assistance.
Amendments to the law on tourism should improve the quality of services provided by the tour operator and enhance the reputation of major travel companies. The tourist will be protected, and he will not have to figure out where to get money in case of unforeseen serious problems.
