Let us recall that during the recent tour of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the Middle East, an agreement on mutual visa abolition was signed. Several weeks must still pass before it comes into force, during which the document will be ratified by the parliaments of the countries, plus three months as required by the regulations.
The positive innovation will also have side effects. Firstly, prices for holidays in Israel may soar, as the country's hotel capacity is very limited and with the abolition of visas there will be more tourists. 'Furthermore, with the increase in tourist flow, the number of people traveling to Israel with undeclared purposes may also grow. Understanding this, the Israeli authorities may tighten control and, being over-cautious or by mistake, ban entry to the country for a large number of normal tourists,' believes Vladimir Kantorovich.
The fact is that Israel, according to Kantorovich, is the champion in the number of deportations of tourists. 'In my company (Vladimir Kantorovich is also the general director of the leading Russian tour operator for Israel - KMP Group), for approximately every thousand tourists there are two or three deportees. Moreover, we are absolutely confident in their reliability. For example, a woman who came alone to Israel for treatment may be deported because she is mistaken for a prostitute. In no other country we work with is this the case,' said Kantorovich. At the same time, such tourists cannot count on any compensation. 'A visa is not a 100% pass into the country. Any state can expel a guest it deems suspicious even with a visa. This will be regarded as force majeure. No payments are due to the tourist in such a case. He finds himself financially completely unprotected,' stated Kantorovich.
In this regard, ATOR recently held a meeting with representatives of the insurance community and proposed to study the possibility of voluntary insurance of tourists against deportation. 'This will be a completely new product for us,' says Elena Skuratova, managing director of comprehensive insurance in tourism at Renaissance Insurance, who participated in the meeting. 'But it will certainly be useful for tourists going on vacation to Israel.' But will it be in demand among Russians, most of whom save every kopeck on their tour? Especially since this is not about expensive exotic trips where people are willing to protect themselves from any risks just to make the trip happen. Much will likely depend on the cost of the product. For now, however, insurers are not ready to give an exact price. 'Rates will be known after risk assessment,' said Skuratova. 'It can be assumed that the price will be approximately at least 1.5% of the insurance coverage.'
Elena OGNEVA.