The number of victims of the actions of “Pilgrim Tour” is growing

The number of applications to law enforcement agencies in the Angara region about non-fulfillment of contractual obligations by the travel agency “Pilgrim-Tour” continues to grow. The total amount of damage caused by the company to citizens who paid for a vacation but did not receive contractual services has not yet been announced. It is known that in Angarsk alone it reaches 3 million rubles. Based on the facts stated in the statements, a pre-investigation check is now being carried out, based on the results of which a decision will be made to initiate a criminal case. Players in the region's tourism market are confident that the situation was predictable, since the legislation does not impose proper requirements on those wishing to organize a travel agency.

The scandal with the thwarted vacation plans of residents of the Angara region - clients of the Pilgrim-Tour agency - continues. As of January 13, the police in the cities of Angarsk and Usolye-Sibirskoye, Irkutsk region, received 47 applications. Including 27 in Angarsk, where the company had five offices, and 20 in Usolye-Sibirskoye. In Irkutsk, where the travel agency also had a representative office, law enforcement agencies did not receive any official complaints against Pilgrim-Tour. However, as Kommersant learned, about 20 Irkutsk residents, who were also unable to use the paid services, are now waiting for the situation to develop in neighboring cities. If the company does not return funds, the number of official claims will increase sharply.

The total amount of damage caused by the travel agency to its clients who paid for but did not receive tour packages has not yet been announced. However, it is known that in Angarsk alone it reaches 3 million rubles. As Dmitry Prikhodko, head of the Department of Economic Crimes and Combating Crimes of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs for Angarsk, told the media, according to available information, the victims were citizens who purchased the agency’s services from August to December 2013. The flights were planned for the period from the end of December 2013 to March 2014. “The basis for citizens’ appeals was that since the beginning of January 2014 they have not been able to fly due to non-payment for their tour and failure to provide documents. There are also already known facts that citizens, having flown outside the Russian Federation, did not receive the hotels, transfers and other services they paid for,” said Mr. Prikhodko. He recalled that Pilgrim-Tour LLC was an agent of large tour operators such as PEGAS Touristic, Tez Tour and several others. The company has been operating in the tourism market of the Angara region since 2008 and before that did not come to the attention of law enforcement agencies. “At the moment, it is being established why the obligations were not fulfilled, as well as where the money received from citizens was sent,” said the head of the Angarsk Department of Economic Crimes.

It was not possible to obtain comments from the management of the Kommersant travel company. The travel agency's office telephone numbers were not answered in all three cities of presence. The decision on whether the actions of the travel agency’s management contain signs of a crime on the basis of which a criminal case can be initiated will be made after the completion of the pre-investigation check. It is known that the employees of “Pilgrim-Tour” and its director have already been interviewed, but the essence of the explanations of the company’s management has not been disclosed.

Meanwhile, as a representative of the region’s tourism market told Kommersant, on January 3, the agency’s main partner, PEGAS Touristiс, terminated the contract with the company due to non-payment for tours. The Irkutsk office of PEGAS confirmed information about the disconnection of “Pilgrim-Tour” from the system, but declined to comment further.

“The situation with Pilgrim Tour was partly predictable and created by our legislation. We have abolished the licensing procedure that was previously in force for agency activities, today the liability of travel agencies for such violations is not spelled out, there are no restrictions on the entry of unscrupulous or unprofessional players into the market,” Yana, executive director of the Siberian Baikal Tourism Association (SBAT), comments to Kommersant. Grishenkova. She emphasizes that at the moment there are about 300 travel agencies operating in the regional market of the Angara region, which clearly exceeds its needs. “SBAT has already sent its proposals to Rostourism on the requirements that need to be established to start agency activities in the tourism industry. The Russian Union of Tourism Industry supported us, and we hope that in February, when the legislation is revised, our proposals will be reflected,” emphasized the executive director of the association.

Evgenia Kolyagina

Tourist house on the road