Taking care of tourists after Russian operator goes bust

By Stathis Kousounis

Another Russian tour operator, the St Petersburg-based Solvex-Tourne, went bankrupt on Monday, stranding between 3,000 and 4,000 Russian visitors in Greece without service.

The Association of Hellenic Tourism Enterprises (SETE) issued a statement stressing that the priority is to provide assistance to the Russians who arrived in Greece via Solvex packages up to the moment they return home, as well as warning that the troubles of the Russian travel market may continue.

Greek National Tourism Organization general secretary Panos Livadas sent a letter to Oleg Safonov, the acting head of Russia’s tourism authority (Rostourism), asking the Russian side to contribute toward helping Russian visitors who came to Greece with Solvex to travel home and to ensure that all dues to Greek tourism enterprises are settled.