Insurance of Tourism
Travel and insurance industries jointly solve the problem in the field of tourism
This issue was discussed at a working meeting of the Committee of Tourism Industry of the Presidium NCE RK "Atameken", which was attended by Kazakhstani Association of Tourist Agencies (ATAK), Kazakhstani Tourist Association (KTA), insurance companies and other interested bodies.
ATTACKS sent a letter to NCE, in which it accused the insurance companies in sabotage. "For six months, nearly 70% of the tourist market is illegal. Insurance companies openly ignore the tourism industry. Putting impossible demands in civil liability contracts, intentional drag the procedure. Our industry may be on the verge of extinction, as in anticipation of the summer season, most of the existing travel agencies will be paralyzed by the absence of an insurance policy. Large tour operators do not enter into contracts without an insurance of a travel agent", - said the letter.
The position of KTA was voiced by the director of the Association Rashida Shaikenova. Amendments, which were introduced in the legislation, need to be improved. "There were suggested three financial instruments, which were incorporated in the law: financial support through a bank guarantee, the creation of the fund, and insurance. Each of them, in our opinion, requires additional study", - she said.
At the same time R. Shaikenova noted that the Association supports the establishment of a fund's initiative. "With regard to financial support through a bank guarantee, as of today, this tool is absolutely unaffordable burden for our market. Our market has a lot of experience working with banks under the bank guarantee. On the one hand, the frozen funds, on the other hand - a collateral of real estate, which small and medium businesses do not have, apart from their own homes. Taking into account the economic situation in the country, falling tourist demand for 70-80%, the market can’t provide the bank guarantee. From the point of view of the analysis of the regulatory impact on the market, we see a reduction of jobs in SME in tourism services, we already see this. Today, about 12% of the members of the KTA have suspended their activities", - she said.
R. Shaikenova stressed that the instrument of a bank guarantee would entail an increase in the cost of the tourist product.
The representative of the insurance companies, Deputy Chairman of the Board of JSC "FGSV" Yerzhan Konurbaev, in turn, said that "the insurance industry can’t resolve the problems of other industries at its own expense". "Insurance companies fear that negative reaction of courts in the future, that they will misinterpret the rules of the law. The second thing: we know that travel companies are not satisfied with these amendments in general. This situation continues, because there is no systemic solution. Amendments to the legislation did not affect the law "On insurance". Therefore, it is reasonable that insurance companies fear to insure. It is clear that it is illogical to force the company to operate at a loss. It is wrong to accuse the insurance companies of sabotage ", - he said.
Chairman of the Committee of Tourism Industry NCE RK Rosa Asanbaeva, which acted as a moderator of the meeting, expressed concerns that the current situation on the eve of the exhibition "EXPO-2017" can "negatively affect domestic and inbound tourism".
An entrepreneur, the head of a travel company “Eurasian Express” Nataliya Zhulanova offered to abolish the current law "On compulsory insurance of civil liability of a tour operator and a travel agent".
Summing up the meeting, R. Asanbaeva added that it is necessary to develop a consolidated decision of the working group, which will suit both the tourist and the insurance industry. "Insurance should be made voluntary. Associations need to give urgently a list of candidates to be included in this working group. We must hurry. We need to make a decision before the first of March", - she said.
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