Meddling With Tourism
The number of tourist firms in Russia will shed seven fold due to amendments to the Act on Tourist Business Fundamentals that took effect June 1. The single Federal Register of Russia sets forth just 1,300 companies of over 10,000 firms licensed to act as tourist operators, spokesmen of the RF Federal Agency for Tourism, Rosturizm, announced Friday.
Starting from June 1, the tourist firms are to execute financial coverage for their activities. The companies dealing with overseas tours and trips to Russia are to have the civil liability insurance or the bank coverage for 5 million rubles. The amount is 0.5 million rubles for domestic tourism. The record entry in the Federal Register is also a must for tourist business.
Overall, the tourist firms filed 2,135 applications for being entered into the Federal Register. Of them, 1,333 have been met already, but 201 companies were turned down and roughly 600 applications are being considered.
The firms with no registration numbers have faced difficulties already. Moscow consulates of Italy and Bulgaria refuse to take documents from them for visa execution. Moreover, the transport authorities of Russia are shaping a regulation that will prohibit airlines to enter into charter contracts with the firms not recorded in the Federal Register.
Rosturizm had issued over 10,000 tourist licenses (which became null and void January 1), so the mandatory registration has narrowed the number of tourist firms at least seven fold.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of June 04, 2007
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