The Association of Tour Operators of Russia ( ATOR ) sent a letter to the cruise company Costa Cruises calling on them to pay compensation to the injured Russians of the Costa Concordia liner as soon as possible, told Interfax ATOR executive director Maya Lomidze on Thursday.

In addition, the ATOR letter contains a request to indicate the exact timing and procedure for payment of compensation, as well as take into account the moral damage that was caused to the injured passengers of the Costa Concordia liner. According to tour operators, tourists estimate the damage incurred, in addition to the cost of the tour they paid, to range from 5 thousand to 16 thousand euros.

As Lomidze said, on Thursday at Rostourism , chaired by the deputy head of the department, Evgeny Pisarevsky , a meeting was held on the legal aspects of compensation for damage to Russian tourists who suffered as a result of the crash of the Costa Concordia cruise liner.

During the meeting, it was established that what happened on the liner falls within the scope of Italian law. Therefore, if the case goes to court, all claims and claims are subject to consideration in court in Genoa.

The meeting participants also noted that Italy is not a party to the 1974 Athens Convention on the Carriage of Passengers by Sea, therefore, in this case, the international legal treaty of the 1970 Brussels Convention on Contracts for Travel applies. According to this document, in particular, cash and jewelry of tourists lost during the shipwreck are not subject to compensation.

Experts agreed that Costa Cruises does not shirk its responsibility to reimburse passengers for the cost of medical care, compensation for lost luggage, airfare, and additional costs incurred by victims during their forced stay in Italy. However, the issue of compensation for moral damage remains open.

In addition, the organization’s website says that there is no evaluation and compensation plan yet, but they promise to develop one in the near future. “We would like to remind you that representatives of Costa Cruises announced their intention to spend €93 million on compensation to passengers,” ATOR said in a statement.

“Those passengers whose cruises to Costa Concordia were only planned will also receive compensation. They are expected to receive a full refund for the cruise and a 30 percent credit towards a subsequent trip with Costa Concordia. Alternatively, tourists can take another cruise on Costa Cruises ships,” the organization adds.

The Costa Concordia liner, carrying more than 4.2 thousand people, including more than 100 Russian tourists, crashed near the island of Giglio off the coast of the Italian region of Tuscany on the night of January 14. The number of victims has already reached 11 people.

ATOR calls on the operator of Costa Concordia to quickly pay compensation to the injured Russians - Gazeta.Ru