The Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE) warned of the danger from further Russian tour operators bankruptcies threatening the Greek tourism market, after the bankruptcy of major Russian tour operator Solvex Tour.
St. Petersburg-based Solvex Tour has shut down, leaving 9,000 customers stranded abroad, mostly in Bulgaria and Greece.
First data indicates approximately 3,000 Solvex Tour customers have been stranded in Greece. The tour operator should not be confused with Moscow-based Solvex Travel, which continues to operate.
SETE reiterates that priority should be given to aiding Solvex Tour customers in Greece until they can return to Russia. SETE also notes that aid must be extended to companies suffering from these developments.
Finally, SETE expressed hopes that the Ukrainian crisis will soon be over, bringing along a stabilization in EU-Russia relations, as Russia represents a sizeable share of the Greek tourism market, expected to yield around 2.5 million tourist arrivals by 2021.
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