Russian tour operators were obliged to form personal liability funds

UFA, 18 January 2017. /Bashinform News Agency, Alim Faizov/. In the period until January 31, the Russian tour operators in the field of outbound tourism must create their personal liability funds, the Federal Agency for Tourism warns. But until now, the majority of tour operators have not complied with this requirement, the "Izvestiya" newspaper reports.

"We remind that Rosturizm will be forced to exclude the operators that failed to form the funds within the established terms from the uniform federal register of tour operators", Oleg Safonov, the head of the department informs.

"The main functionality of the new funds is raising safety of tourists and especially their financial security. The fact is that in 2014 when at once 28 operators experienced bankruptcy, we have transported 56 thousand visitors from more than 20 countries around the world. But it turned out that an even greater number of people were affected without leaving home. It is those who acquired tourist products, but did not have time to use it," the director of "Turpomosch" Association Alexander Osaulenko shared with the newspaper. "According to average estimates, these people were returned only 8-12 percent of the money that they had originally paid".

Thus it was planned to establish personal liability funds for each tour operator, and the relevant law came into force on January 1 this year. In fact, the market participants are given one month - until January 31.

The total value of the personal liability fund amounts to 7 percent of the products sold by a tour operator for the previous year. However, the law allows them to fill a "piggy bank" gradually - by 1 percent each year for seven years.

The final amount, according to the state and business representatives, is more than enough to ensure a 100 percent coverage for the loss of tourists in the event of a company collapse that sold trips.