On Monday office of the company was closed – part 4

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   On October 17th BANKO Information Service operative team continued investigation around the fall of Premier Travel Service. As Mikhail Shamanov, cofounder of Megapolus Aviacharter company (consolidator of ‘Premier’ flights to Tunisia) told our reporters, On October 16th 220 ‘Premier’ holiday makers returned to Moscow from Monastir by two ‘VIM-Avia’ flights (one of them was put up additionally). Around 160 clients must return on nearest Thursday and Monday. Mr. Shamanov specified that his company finances the return of tourists that have written out tickets on their hands (according to Mikhail Shamanov, there are 80% of such tourists on ‘Premier’ block). Others are paid for by agencies. ‘We don’t take additional money from clients: they are not guilty of the current situation. It is our problem that we trusted ‘Premier’, and the same goes to agencies, ’ he told BANKO reporter. Head of Megapolus also said that ‘Premier’ owes his company $95,460.
   On Monday BANKO operative team also continued contacts with Elena Kozitsyna, head of ‘Carthage Plus’ company, ‘Premier’ partner in Tunisia, to clarify the situation. Ms. Kozitsyna reported that their clients are not evicted from hotels, and hoteliers have no complaints against them. At the same time ‘Carthage’ consolidates the pays of Russian agents whose tourists were sent to Tunisia with ‘Premier’ vouchers. ‘Carthage’ asks to transfer money via its Moscow representative (see the News for October 15th) and ‘Intourist’ company.
   As to other destinations ‘Premier’ worked with, situation there is better than in Tunisia. Representatives of ‘Planet Travel’ company that performs as accepting party of the operator in UAE, told BANKO operative team reporter that tourists’ residence and transfer are fully paid until October 18th, so there’s nothing to worry about. Nevertheless, ‘Planet’ representative refused to state exact amount of tourists, saying this is commercial classified information. And according to Mikhail Ioffe, head of Egypt department at ‘Turenegroservice’ (‘Premier’ was the agent of that operator), there are only a few ‘Premier’ tourists, and their residence is paid as well as transfer. ‘Money was not paid in for two clients only, but we’ve already solved this question,’ said the expert to a BANKO reporter.
   At 1 p. m. Gennadiy Kucha, BANKO operative team reporter, visited ‘Premier’s office at 54/2 Zemlyanoy val st., Moscow. Contrary to expectations, the office was closed, and guadrs representative said, ‘On Friday employees moved around here. But today there is no-one at work.’
   We’ll continue in the next BANKO New issue.