Full Refund of Tour Cost in Force Majeure: What Lawmakers Propose

Why New Rules Are Needed Now

The Russian summer has already shown how fragile vacation plans can be. Flight delays, airport shutdowns and sudden family tragedies force travellers to scrap trips, while the current rules leave them with only a fraction of their money back. Under the existing practice the refund is limited to what the operator has already spent – tickets, hotel bookings and so on. The closer the departure date, the higher the expenses, and the smaller the amount that reaches the client.

What the LDPR Initiative Actually Says

Party leader Leonid Slutsky wrote to Vice‑Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenkov outlining two core points:

1. Guarantee a full refund of the tour price if the client cancels for a serious reason that can be documented.
2. Create a single list of such reasons and a procedure for confirming them, to keep abuse at bay.

The draft already names cases like illness, death or serious disease in the family, loss of documents in an emergency, as well as airport restrictions and major logistical breakdowns.

How the Current Rules Work

Today the law ties refunds to the operator’s actual outlays. That means even with proven force‑majeure circumstances a traveller can lose a sizable chunk of the payment. The operator keeps the money spent on airline tickets, hotel fees and other services it deems “already used”. At the same time the average domestic tour costs more than sixty‑two thousand rubles per person – an amount many families save for months.

The Economic Angle

Slutsky points out that the fear of losing money becomes a barrier to planning a holiday. People either postpone trips or shy away from buying tours far in advance, which hurts the early‑booking model that underpins the operators’ business. If a full‑refund guarantee were in place, potential tourists might feel more confident and, consequently, demand could rise.

Who Will Foot the Guarantee?

The big question is how the financial burden will be split. If full refunds are placed on tour operators, they could face the same situation that unfolded during the pandemic: airlines and hotels hold onto their funds, and the operator has to compensate the client out of its own pocket. A voluntary insurance product already exists, covering part of the tour price in cases of illness, visa denial and other agreed‑upon events. The LDPR proposal would turn that insurance from an optional add‑on into a statutory guarantee.

Possible Funding Scenarios

• Include it in the tour price. Operators could raise prices to account for potential refunds, which would ultimately affect the consumer.
• Create a reserve fund. The risk could be spread among all market players – hotels, airlines, insurers – via a dedicated pool.
• State support. A version where part of the cost is covered by the budget, though this idea has not been officially discussed yet.

How This Could Shape the Industry

For travellers the benefit is clear: no financial risk makes holiday planning less stressful. For operators it is a challenge – they will have to either rethink pricing or find new ways to spread risk. Hotels and airlines may also demand clearer refund terms to protect themselves from losses.

Current Status of the Initiative

At the moment we are only looking at a letter to the government, not a fully drafted bill. The list of acceptable reasons, the verification procedure and the compensation mechanism still need to be fleshed out. If the cabinet backs the proposal, its implementation could become another step toward rebuilding trust in domestic tourism, which remains a priority for state policy.

What Travellers Should Keep in Mind Now

• Keep your documents. If a force‑majeure event occurs, having medical certificates or other proof will speed up the refund process.
• Watch the news. Legislative tweaks may affect the terms of tours you have already booked.
• Consider insurance. Until the law takes effect, a voluntary policy is still the most reliable way to protect your investment.

Bottom Line

The LDPR’s push aims to stop tourists from losing money because of circumstances beyond their control. At the same time the sector will have to overhaul its refund model. How quickly a balance will be found, and in what shape, is still unknown, but the debate already raises an important question: how far is the state willing to go to shield travellers in an unstable market?

Based on materials from: trn-news.ru.