The official procedure for submitting applications for refunds by Mouzenidis Travel customers has begun. On November 12, Rosturizm excluded the company from the federal register of tour operators, further bankruptcy. Mouzenidis Travel has financial guarantees, but there will not be enough insurance funds for everyone. Experts emphasize that this is a huge reputational loss for the market. “MK” found out how the injured Russian tourists to get their money for the tours.
Mouzenidis Travel’s problems began with the death of Boris Mouzenidis, the founder of the company, in March 2021. After the death of the head of the tour operator, the heirs had to endure six months before starting to actively develop the assets. There are a lot of questions about financial flows. But the relevant authorities will deal with this, and so far about 27 thousand Russian tourists are awaiting compensation for damage, who have paid about 18 million euros (about 2 billion rubles) for the vouchers. This money was transferred to Greece, but never reached hotels and airlines.
In general, everyone loved Mouzenidis Travel very much. Tour operator managers have always been distinguished by a human approach: they met halfway, settled conflicts. The company has been on the market since 1995, and it’s very strange that they didn’t save it. Mouzenidis Travel started out by organizing shopping tours to Greece. Even in spite of the “extortionist tourists” (travelers who, having signed an agreement that they undertake to buy fur coats for a certain amount, said that there was no money), the company coped. The tour operator had to cover the costs on its own, but he continued to work. The company survived the 90s, but not the covid ones.
This is a huge reputational loss for the market, says Galina Dekhtyar, professor of the Department of Business Process Management at the IOM RANEPA, tourism expert. “The younger generation, and without this story, almost completely switched to independent travel. The online hotel booking system Booking is actively used, the online platform for finding short-term rentals of private accommodation around the world Airbnb. It will be even more difficult for tour operators to work, ”she notes.
The case with Mouzenidis Travel is not unprecedented. In 2018, another large operator, Natalie Tours, left the market. More than 19 thousand tourists were injured, who demanded from the insurance company Ingosstrakh compensation for a total amount of about 1 billion rubles. However, there has never been such an amount of damage as in the situation with Mouzenidis Travel.
Almost 2 billion rubles is a very large amount, says executive director of the Alliance of Travel Agencies (ATA) Natalia Osipova.
“It is not known how many tourists were unable to realize their tours. Only after the insurance company forms a list of injured travelers, the scale will become clear, ”she emphasizes.
It is known that Mouzenidis Travel is insured for 80.5 million rubles in the TIT insurance company. Experts say that these financial guarantees will not be enough to pay all clients and the money will simply be divided among all the victims.
Due to pandemic circumstances, the money of many tour operators is located abroad. Foreign partners admit that the tourists’ funds are with them, they do not refuse obligations and are waiting for everything to be fulfilled. In the case of Mouzenidis Travel, the foreign partner simply dumped the Russian operator, says Alexander Osaulenko, director of the Turpomosch association, vice-president of the Russian Union of Travel Industry.
“Compensation mechanisms have been launched, but it is already clear that 80 million insurance is not enough to cover all the damage,” he continues. – We must pay tribute to the tour operator, who did not go into deep defense, but is ready to explain to customers how to act in this situation: the site will post a procedure for tourists. The insurance company has already published the rules for submitting a package of documents to receive funds. “
After the insurance company has exhausted its limit of funds, the Association “Turpomosch” will announce the beginning of the formation of its registers for unfulfilled obligations. Unfortunately, the numbers are even lower there.
