Hundreds of Russian tourists stranded in Binh Thuan
By Dao Loan - The Saigon Times Daily
HCMC – Some 400-500 Russian tourists are still stranded at the resorts in Binh Thuan Province as their tour operator Lanta Viet is adversely impacted after its foreign partner Lanta-Tur Voyage announced to halt operation.
Nguyen Van Khoa, chairman of the Binh Thuan Tourism Association, gave the above figure basing on the preliminary statistics reported by the association’s members on Sunday. The statistics also showed that Lanta Viet still owed some VND6 billion to Binh Thuan-based tourism service suppliers like hotels and restaurants.
“We will continue to gather more accurate statistics. At present, the member enterprises of the association agree to allow the tourists to stay in until figuring out the best solution for them to return to their country,” Khoa told the Daily on Monday.
Lanta-Tur Voyage is one of the biggest Russian travel companies. In 2008, the tour operator formed a joint venture named Lanta-An Travel with Vietnam’s Anh Duong Co., Ltd. to serve Russian travelers to Vietnam.
However, the joint venture has been dissolved due to disagreements over administration and finance, according to Anh Duong Co.
One year after the dissolution, Lanta-Tur Voyage cooperated with other local partners to establish Lanta Viet with its head-office based in HCMC but mostly operating in Binh Thuan, the appealing destination for Russian tourists, said Khoa. In recent years, the number of Russian tourists brought to Binh Thuan by Lanta-Tur Voyage accounts for some 20% of the total Russian visitors to the province.
Following the suspension of the Russian tour operator, tour guides and service staff of Lanta Viet also took flight, leaving their tourists stuck in the province.
“Russian tourists have learnt of the case of Lanta-Tur Voyage and feel assured with the Vietnamese partner’s arrangements,” Khoa said.
Many tourists are now left with no money to pay hotel and transport services. Some of them have yet to have return tickets because the travel agency has not paid the air carrier, he added.
Since tourists often buy insurance, the insurance company will pay the airfares after the problem is settled.
According to Binh Thuan’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the province welcomed over 300,000 international visits in 2011, with 100,000 being Russians. Management agencies and the provincial tourism association are working on the best solution for the stranded tourists.