Russians refused to hand over travel tickets to Israel

The Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation recommended that travel agencies suspend the sale of tours to Israel, where the war is raging. In Israel, hotels have fallen sharply in price – room prices in central cities have fallen by about a third. We checked what is happening in Russian agencies with the sale of travel packages.

– Hello, are there cheap tours to Israel from waivers? Now everyone is renting out, but I want to buy, – I’m calling with a “legend” to the office of a Russian tour operator working with Israel.

– Who told you this, Israel is not getting cheaper and is not coming back. This is an expensive destination.

– But there’s a war there!

– We have no refusals. But planes don’t fly at night, for safety reasons. Daytime flights from Moscow to Tel Aviv leave full. But our sales of Israel are not so deep that a day after the aggravation began, clients would already come running to rent. We sold mainly in November, and these tourists hope that by then everything will calm down. Israel is constantly at war with Palestine.

– And if a person comes to take a tour with a flight to Ben Gurion tomorrow, will you return one hundred percent of the payment?

– We do not have tours departing tomorrow.

Well, apparently, the secretariat of this tour operator does not delve too deeply into the terrible news about the bombings constantly coming from Israel. And in the official field, all representatives of the Russian tourism industry unanimously declare that they are not going to prevent those wishing to return already purchased but not yet used trips to Israel, and will return their full cost.

“There are no or very few organized tourists from Russia now,” says Georgy, a private guide from Jerusalem. – They still don’t pass by the Western Wall, we usually see groups and buses. But there are many Russians who came on their own, for treatment or to visit relatives.

– And where are they now?

– Like everything, it depends on the character. Some are afraid and hide, others are trying to help in some way.

– How can an ordinary tourist help now?

– Yes, in different ways, if there is a desire. We have a channel where urgent needs are reported. For example, in one family a nursing mother is injured, and the child needs to be fed, women who are breastfeeding are asked to help. Someone arrived at the airport with children, but the flight was canceled for an unknown time, they were afraid to go out, their compatriots were taking them home. Not just Russians, but everyone. Volunteers work and are well coordinated.

– Is it true that there are those who are now flying not from you to Russia, but vice versa?

– Eat. These are those who have loved ones here – children, parents. And volunteers.

According to the Federal Air Transport Agency, night flights to Israel are “temporarily suspended for security reasons,” but daytime flights are fully operated by both Russian and Israeli air carriers.

“Many flights are on the schedule, including on the airport board, but in fact they are not carried out, postponed indefinitely or canceled altogether,” says the Russian repatriate..

– Do clients refuse tours to countries bordering Israel? – I’m interested in a Russian travel agency specializing in the Middle East.

– No, on the contrary, they ask whether Egyptian Charm has become cheaper due to the fact that it is close. And besides those who have already bought Egypt for November and beyond, there is no one in particular to refuse. We hardly sell Jordan, a neighbor of Israel, since there are no direct flights. And in the Gulf countries – the Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and Iran – nothing threatens Russian tourists. And everywhere except the UAE, sales are minimal.

– If they still decide to cancel tours to the Middle East, will you return the money?

– They will return only for Israel. Refusal of tours to neighboring countries only at your own expense; there is no state of emergency, and, accordingly, no force majeure in the contract.

The official tourism industry reassures fellow citizens who have tours to Egyptian resorts in the near future that “there are no disruptions in the flight schedule from the Russian Federation to Egypt and back due to the situation in Israel.” However, Russian aircraft prefer to fly around Jordan, lengthening the travel time. Russian authorities recommend that Russians refrain from traveling to Israel for tourism purposes until the situation in the country normalizes, and those who are already in place strictly comply with all the requirements of local authorities, especially the curfew, movement around the country, the need for special passes, etc.

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