Union: Many Russian tourist firms to go bankrupt

MOSCOW, Mar 23 (PRIME) – Not all Russian tourist firms will withstand the coronavirus outbreak that almost destroyed tourism, Irina Tyurina, press secretary of the Russian Union of Travel Industry, said in an interview to Ekho Moskvy radio station broadcast on Monday.

“The process has already started, it is just going on silently without loud scandals. Companies are leaving the market. One responsible company has closed the business and said that it is unable to return all the money to tourists, but it has financial guarantees and a sum in the personal responsibility fund in the Turpomoshch association. To use the money, a tour operator has to leave the market,” she said.

“There will be bankruptcies…I hope that large tour operators with many tourists will withstand it. On the other hand, they will have to refund more tours. Tourism is dead now, but it will come alive again.”

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