Why are tour operators going bankrupt in Russia? What travel agencies can go bankrupt?

Statistics say that about five tourism companies are ruined each year in Russia. But in 2014, of course, broke all records in this regard. Experts say that bankruptcy data can not be considered an accident. Why are tour operators ruined? What reasons led to the crisis in the services market? How to protect yourself when traveling abroad? You can find out the answers to interesting questions by reading this article.

Causes of bankruptcy

At the height of the holiday season, all holidaymakers were following the news in alarm. Why are the tour operators of Russia ruined? The media unanimously reiterated that the blame for everything is the poor state of the economy of our country. The fall in the national currency, the geopolitical crisis and the decline in demand for services among the population are the main factors of the default of individual firms, industry experts say. But is it really so?

Wrong managerial decisions

Rosturizm published data according to which in the first quarter of 2014 the flow of tourists decreased by 4%. Suppose that for individual tour operators, the loss of customers briefly reached 15 or 20%. However, in theory, these figures could not lead to fatal consequences for the firm, if it has the necessary reserves. Thus, it can be assumed that one of the reasons that accelerated the ruin of the tour operator is the incompetence of the leadership.

Coincidence

Tourist business is a zone of great risk. The firm incurs obligations on payment of expenses, planning actions in advance. For example, she orders a charter flight and buys places in the hotel in advance. Then he tries to sell the tours with all his might, but the number of clients can not always be found. That is why there are so-called "burning" tours, designed to recoup at least part of the costs.

Already at the beginning of this year it was clear that the demand for the services of firms will drop significantly. Those who rationally approached business planning, reduced costs and remained afloat. However, some businessmen were too optimistic about the future, hoping for high incomes in the season. Unfortunately, the tourists did not live up to their expectations - that's the answer, why the tour operators are ruined. A jump in the dollar's rate turned out to be a convenient excuse at the time.

Intentional actions

There is an opinion that some unscrupulous companies used the situation with a crisis in their favor. That is, against the background of the ruin of individual firms declare themselves bankrupt, collected seasonal jackpot and stopped activities. However, experts in the tourism industry believe that the ruin of tour operators in this scenario is unlikely. If earlier fraud flourished very often, now the law enforcement agencies are conducting serious checks on the subject of deliberate deception.

Rise in price of permits

The next reason why Russian tour operators are ruining is the increase in the cost of vacation abroad. Today, due to the unstable economic situation in the country, citizens are afraid to buy expensive tours. First of all, demand fell on countries such as Tunisia, Germany or France. "Mass" directions, for example, rest in Turkey and Egypt, remain popular. And nevertheless, incomes of firms fall. If earlier Russians were happy to take expensive trips, now they are trying to find something cheaper.

Rise in price of air tickets

Disordered tour operators say that their contribution to their default was made by Russian airlines. Aeroflot, Transaero and others tie the calculation of prices for their services to the exchange rate. And often the cost of tickets grows even faster than the course itself. Operators, booking charter flights, contribute 15-20% of the total cost in advance. It is clear that if a company does not have enough clients, then the mortgage loses. And those who counted on the same number of tourists as last year, suffered significant losses.

Lack of credit

Not all insurance companies re-negotiate with tour operators, so each of them is at risk. Many bankrupt companies worked to the last, hoping for the support of the bank. The nervousness in the tourist market forces banks to refuse to issue loans to unreliable companies.

Prohibition on traveling abroad

The next answer to the question of why the tour operators of Russia are being ruined is the ban on travel abroad to employees of law enforcement agencies and the Foreign Ministry. It is this part of the population that is the most wealthy and has never spared money for rest for itself and its family. The notorious companies "Labyrinth" and "Neva" used to participate in state orders. Firms provided permits to employees of state bodies. And now they are partly attributing their ruin to the loss of these customers.

Lack of licensing

Why are tour operators ruined? To date, anyone can open their travel company without any problems. To do this, it is enough to register as a legal entity, to rent an office and connect the Internet. The state no longer regulates the tourism industry and has no significant levers of government. Travelers are protected only by an insurance fund created by large companies. It is from him that the means are taken to close the debts of the burnt out colleagues. However, there are also problems here. For example, the insurance company "Ascension" worked with "Labyrinth", "Neva" and many other operators. She took on an unbearable burden, concluding contracts more than she could pay. As a result, tourists risk being left without money, as by law all debts will be paid proportionally: half or 30% of the total value.

How to plan a trip abroad

Today, after the collapse of the travel business, we take the choice of the company more than seriously. In order not to be in the ranks of deceived travelers, abandoned to the mercy of fate, it is necessary to carefully weigh all the circumstances. First of all, it is necessary to find out which tour operators can be ruined, and which soybeans continue to work.

Tips for those who want to find a reliable company

• Consider the proposals of several companies offering tours to your chosen destination. Too low a price should be more likely to alert than please. The exception, for obvious reasons, is "burning" tours.
• Good reviews of friends and acquaintances about their trip are not indicative of the reliability of the company. As experience has proved, the ruined tour operators used to have no problems and fulfilled their obligations. To make sure the correctness of the choice, take the time and study the websites. It is better to look for news about the work of the company on independent portals, as on their resources tour operators are laying out only positive reviews.
• Make sure that the company you choose is not experiencing financial difficulties. Remember that the relationship between the operator, the hotel and the airline are built on special principles. As a rule, the company makes payments once a month, not considering the schedule of arrival of tourists. And it's not at all the fact that your money will go to pay for your accommodation and flight. The operator can spend them, for example, on advertising or the salary of employees. Delayed payment due to financial difficulties can lead to the fact that just before the flight you will find out that your ticket is invalid.

Increasingly, people in our country go abroad independently. And this is understandable - the ruined tour operators were not able to fulfill their promises, and the travelers found themselves in a quandary. Agree that the biggest plus of contacting a travel company is a trip without hassle. For you buy tickets, issue a visa and reserve a room, pick up the excursion program. But more and more often there is a risk that you will not only not have a rest, but you will get a mountain of problems. That is why many tourists are no longer looking for the causes of the ruin of tour operators, but take matters into their own hands. Fortunately, with the development of the hotel reservation service and air tickets, you can prepare for the trip without even getting up from the couch.