Travel agencies initiate creation of insurance fund for compensation of expenses on social and natural disasters
Kyiv, June 12 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Large travel agencies and companies could create an insurance fund of some UAH 20 million to compensate for incidental expenses due to social and natural disasters occurring in countries visited by tourists, Commercial Director of Tez Tour Arkadiy Maslov said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday.
"We cannot endlessly take tourists from Egypt, Israel, Turkey and any other countries using our own money. A fund should exist for this, and we as responsible large companies on the market are initiating the creation of the fund. This is a voluntary payment by travel agencies, but not by Ukrainian citizens. The fund could total some UAH 20 million," he said.
Maslov said that the fund could be formed with voluntary payments of travel agencies from each tourist who travels abroad and "replenish the budget of a certain self-regulating organization, the nongovernmental structure."
"The state has no direct relation to tourism, especially to other countries. When there were militant actions in Israel, our mass media was full of information that our citizens can evacuate and that the Emergencies Ministry sent helicopters. However, tourists were evacuated by Tez Tour by buses from Israel to Egypt, and then by air to Ukraine. No one gave us a diploma or a medal, and they didn't even thank us," he said.
Commenting on the situation on the Ukrainian tourism market due to the protests in Turkey, Maslov said that no employee of the company nor any tourist had participated in the events.
"No tourists were injured. We know all our tourists by sight and when they return we give them a questionnaire. However, there are serious losses. They mainly concern travel agencies and indirectly carriers, which have to cancel some charter programs," he said.
Maslov said that even today, not many tourists are canceling their holidays in Turkey.
"Turkey is still attractive to Ukrainians. We have eight offices in the tourism districts of Turkey. We're monitoring the situation, and there is no revolution there," he said.