The algorithm is as follows: ATOR told us how to get money back for trips to Crimea and Dagestan

CrimeaPRESS reports:

On the afternoon of June 23, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a missile attack on the resort areas of Sevastopol, killing four civilians and injuring 151 people. Five children are in serious condition. On the same day in Dagestan, armed militants attacked Orthodox churches, a synagogue and a traffic police post. Both Crimea and Dagestan are in demand among tourists this summer, but vacationers have already begun to refuse to vacation in these regions. How to get money back for a trip and is it possible to replace popular holiday destinations? «Parliamentary newspaper» said the vice-president of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia Artur Muradyan.

Arthur Sirakovich, what do tourists need to do to get their money back for their planned vacation in Crimea and Dagestan?

— You need to contact the tour operator with a statement to terminate the contract. Ideally, it is necessary to indicate a motivated reason why tourists unilaterally refuse to fulfill the contract. In this case, you can refer to the recommendations of the Ministry of Economic Development. Although they do not have legal force as binding, nevertheless, all participants in tourism activities are required to listen to the recommendations and decisions of the regulator.

If a tourist has purchased a comprehensive package with accommodation and travel, then you only need to contact tour operators. They, in turn, will work out the issue with suppliers. Hotels will either refund the money, offer alternative dates, or refund the money minus actual expenses incurred according to the rules of the contract.

What if people booked accommodation and tickets on their own??

— In this case, you need to contact each supplier separately, including airlines. They, unlike tour operators, have the right to apply the tariff rules specified when purchasing tickets. For example, the fare may be refundable or non-refundable, and special return conditions may apply. I have not seen any recommendations from the Federal Air Transport Agency in relation to airlines. Of course, tourists who bought a comprehensive tourism product are now more protected in terms of money back. I think that most hotels and tour operators will meet them halfway. Airlines are much less flexible. Let me remind you that even during Covid times they did not return the money, but provided vouchers. In any case, if a tourist believes that his rights have been violated by the proposed conditions, he has the right to go to court to receive greater compensation. The court will make the decision it deems appropriate.

Are there already many refusals of holidays in these regions?

— Today the working day has just begun, and yesterday there were isolated cases of refusals. But, of course, both Crimea, which was on the rise compared to last year, and Dagestan, which remains the tourism leader in the North Caucasus, received a heavy blow. You can’t even say where the situation will have a greater impact on tourism. The number of victims in Crimea is greater, but in Dagestan the destabilization of the general situation is much stronger.

Now people will make decisions, but I always say that Russian tourists are quite brave. If the situation does not change for the worse, then most of them implement their original plans. In addition, both Dagestan and Crimea are in many ways uncontested resorts. Crimea — in terms of cost, this is the cheapest beach holiday in Russia. Dagestan leads in terms of logistics and tourism infrastructure by a large margin from neighboring republics. These regions are not easy to replace. But, of course, there will be refusals, especially in the near future. Whether to go on vacation or not is a personal matter; each tourist himself assesses his capabilities, his moral and psychological state.

source: «Parliamentary newspaper»

Crimea news | CrimeaPRESS: latest news and main events