Travel business, like any other, is subject to many risks, and companies are often closed due to loss-making. But when a small travel agency stops working, the consequences are not so impressive as when a large tour operator announces its insolvency. That is why, when the travel agency "Versa" suspended its activities, this caused serious unrest in the market.
About company
Versa LLC began operating in 1999. She was one of the largest tour operators in St. Petersburg and in the northwestern part of Russia. The tour operator offered the opportunity to relax anywhere in the world. Depending on the capabilities of clients, he offered budget European bus tours or group excursions. And also employees could help organize a real dream vacation for discerning customers for whom the price did not matter.
Before the Versa tour operator suspended operations, it not only provided outbound tourism services of varying complexity for ordinary tourists, but also offered various programs for corporate tourism companies. In addition, the company was engaged in domestic tourism and acted as a host when organizing visits of official delegations to the cultural capital.
year 2014
2013 was almost a record year for outbound tourism. And few expected that 2014 would be a nightmare for many travel companies and citizens who have already purchased permits. The sudden crisis and a sharp rise in the price of currency did their job, as a result, many small agencies and several large players were forced to leave the market.
Not only the tour operator "Versa" suspended its activities, and as a result of vacation was spoiled by more than 130 thousand people. More fortunate were those who were able to fly away and found out about the problems at the end of the vacation. Although the difficulties with paying for a hotel and waiting for information on how and when you can return to your homeland, it is difficult to call luck. Some, however, learned that they were not going anywhere while at home and anticipating a long-awaited trip. Moreover, it was possible to return the cost of the tour, but the procedure took time, the money was not returned immediately and not always in full. Therefore, vacation in any case was ruined.
Care "Versa"
The St. Petersburg tour operator Versa suspended work on September 15, 2014, leaving about 9 thousand vacationers abroad and selling another 6 thousand people for the coming months. According to the company, it decided to close only outbound tourism, but was ready to work on receiving guests, as well as to develop the domestic direction. Versa added to the list of numerous large companies from St. Petersburg that declared insolvency in 2014. Given that three insurance companies provided financial guarantees totaling 210 million rubles, the management of the company was not worried about the fate of the affected tourists.
Conflict with Tourist Assistance
After the tour operator "Versa" suspended activity, he announced his actual inability to engage in the export of their own tourists from their vacation spots. The company turned to Turpomoshchi to return people back at the expense of their funds. The Tourist Assistance Fund is created at the expense of funds that market participants involved in outbound tourism contribute. Thus, in case of insolvency of one of the companies, the financial burden falls on others. The position of Versa outraged many, as the company closed only outbound tourism, leaving the domestic one to generate income. At the same time, she was not going to bear responsibility to her clients and decided to shift it to others. The company's management was given the condition of an immediate cessation of all activities. To continue to work, the company had to deal independently with the problems of returning its customers from other countries. Then the tour operator "Versa" announced a complete suspension of activity. The company directed its remaining finances to the export of people, and Turpomosch compensated for the lack. According to the fund’s estimates, 3,000 tourists who did not pay return tickets needed real help.
As many analysts predicted, the St. Petersburg company was the last among those who left the tourism business in 2014. Given the fact that the tour operator Versa suspended operations at the end of the season, we did not have to wait for any new shocks in this market.