Russians who fall ill, or whose close relative falls ill, can legally cancel a tour before it begins and get their money back, according to Dmitry Khrulev, vice-president of the International Association of Mediators "Power of Dialogue." His comments were reported by RT.
Khrulev said a traveler's own illness is directly named in law as a circumstance that prevents a trip from going ahead. A relative's illness is treated differently: it is assessed based on how it affects the client's ability to depart, and according to the terms of the trip-cancellation insurance policy attached to the booking.
What documents are needed
Travelers must be able to prove their case. For their own illness, that means a medical conclusion, an extract, or a certificate showing dates and any contraindications to travel. If the cancellation is because of a relative's illness, the traveler needs proof of the family relationship along with evidence of hospitalization or of the need for the traveler to provide care.
Other valid reasons to cancel
Illness is not the only accepted reason, Khrulev said. Other valid grounds include a change to the dates of the holiday, a visa refusal, injury, mobilization, an unforeseen rise in transport fares, and a worsening of the conditions of the trip.
He said the cancellation request must be sent to the tour operator, and travelers should keep proof that it was delivered. The cost of the tour must then be refunded, minus any expenses already incurred on the order that are confirmed by bookings, invoices and payments.
When a refund can be refused
Khrulev said an insurer can refuse to pay out if the case is not among the risks listed in the policy, if the deadline for filing a claim has passed, or if there is no medical confirmation.
A tour operator, he said, is only entitled to keep the full price of the tour if it had already incurred expenses of the same amount before receiving the cancellation request. A penalty clause set in advance does not, on its own, give the operator the right to withhold the whole sum, Khrulev said.
The International Association of Mediators "Power of Dialogue" works on resolving disputes between consumers and businesses, including in the travel sector, where cancellation insurance is a common add-on to package tour bookings in Russia.
The reminder follows an earlier report that a Russian family lost a vacation at a resort favored by wealthy travelers, worth 800,000 rubles, because of a tour operator's fault.
