Federal Tourism Agency

History

2022: Putin abolished the department

In October 2022, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the abolition of the Federal Agency for Tourism (Rosturizm), its functions will be transferred to the Ministry of Economic Development.

The decree was signed "in order to improve state government in the field of tourism and tourism activities, increase the efficiency of the development of the tourism industry and optimize the structure of federal authorities," the document says.

Vladimir Putin

{{quote 'The decision of the President of the Russian Federation will increase the efficiency of the implementation of the national project "Tourism and Hospitality Industry," which involves 17 federal departments and all regions of the country, as well as the business community, - commented on the presidential decree in the Ministry of Economy. }} Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko will continue to oversee the tourism sector in the government, the ministry said. The transfer of the functions of Rostourism to the Ministry of Economic Development, according to Chernyshenko, will allow the government "to concentrate the resource as much as possible on the challenges and priorities of the industry." He expressed confidence that the head of Rostourism Zarina Doguzova "will continue to work for the benefit of the industry in the future."

The Ministry of Economic Development is transferred to the functions of the Federal Tourism Agency for the development and implementation of state policy and legal regulation in the field of tourism, for the coordination of work in priority areas of state regulation of tourism activities, for the provision of relevant public services and state property management.

The ministry will also transfer the functions of state control over the work of accredited organizations that classify hotels, ski slopes and beaches, the work of tour operators and the association of tour operators in the field of outbound tourism, as well as the work of organizations authorized to certify guides and instructors.^[1]

2019: Creation of a unified register of travel agents in Russia

On December 25, 2019, it became known about the plans of the Russian government to launch a unified register of travel agents. It should appear from January 2021, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said at a government meeting.

He noted that tourist tours are formed by operators, and agents are engaged in their sale. But there are situations when travel agents use the services of booking centers, and those who receive customer money close and do not transfer fees for vouchers.

Medvedev: a single electronic register of travel agents will appear in Russia

This situation needs to change. Firstly, in addition to the existing register of tour operators, we will create a new unified federal register of travel agents... Inclusion in it will become mandatory for all travel agents and, of course, free, - quotes the words of the head of government RIA Novosti.

It is assumed that the data in the register in electronic form will be entered by the tour operators themselves. Administrative responsibility can be imposed for the provision of incorrect information.

According to the Minister of Economic Development Maxim Oreshkin, the main goal of the bill on the introduction of a register of travel agents is to protect the interests of travelers from unscrupulous travel agents. The register will record the presence of contractual relations between the tour operator and its travel agents. When buying a tour, a tourist will be able to get reliable information whether the travel agent has the right to sell a tourist product, he stressed.

Dmitry Medvedev at a government meeting said that by the end of December 2019, about 20-30 thousand travel agencies operate in the Russian Federation, the activities of which cannot be traced. In addition, their number cannot be calculated, and travel agencies are "practically not responsible for anything." The law does not establish special mechanisms aimed at compensating tourists in the event of termination of the travel agent.^[2]

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