No money - no rooms," - an expert on the problems of Russian tourists settling in the Maldives.
Founder and CEO of tour operator Art-Tour, co-head of the RST outbound tourism committee, Dmitry Arutyunov, told Business FM that money can be returned to the sender after passing through several correspondent banks. Part of the amount is lost in commissions, and the hotels don't get paid on time.
"When customers check in, they are told you have not been paid for your stay. Either pay again or cancel the order. ".
Some hotels agree to wait for the money to arrive, while others demand a refund. Tour operators are looking for workarounds through third countries, and Maldivian hotels are opening accounts in other banks. But other intermediaries make the cost of the tours more expensive.
Pantheon tour operator General Manager Anatoly Gerkushin says his company has already resolved the payment problem. In the past, some hotels required confirmation of the citizenship of tourists for whom money was received, which caused delays in transfers.
"We paid in a different way. The hotel received the customers, and after a while the first payment arrived at the hotel."
According to Gerkushin, further inspections may be related to the banks' fears of falling under secondary sanctions. Small and medium tour operators who have alternative payment methods are dealing with the restrictions for now.