THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The bankruptcy of one of Russia’s biggest tour operators last week has had its repercussions down in Kovalam also. Two Russians in Kovalam were among approximately 400 stranded in India following the bankruptcy of tour operator giant Lanta-Tour Voyage. The company had filed for bankruptcy on January 28, catching hundreds of Russian tourists off-guard across the globe. The two tourists from Moscow were staying at a hotel in Kovalam since January 26. Le Passage Travels to India (LPTI), the tour agency collaborating with Lanta-Tour Voyage here, said they had taken up the issue with Russian Embassy officials. ‘’We haven’t got paid yet by Lanta-Tour. The two tourists had made the payment to them and arrived here on January 26. In fact, we are owed a total of US $ 20,000 and 2,200 Euros by the Russian tour operator,’’ LPTI manager, Thiruvananthapuram, Jo Julian said. LPTI had no inkling of the approaching bankruptcy, he said. When contacted, the hotel said that the matter had been settled after discussions with the Honorary Russian Consulate here. The Russia’s Honorary Consul in Thiruvananthapuram Ratheesh C Nair said that the Consulate’s priority was the welfare of the tourists. ‘’The agreement is between LPTI and Lanta Tour. The tourists have already made the payment to Lanta-Tour Voyages and Lanta-Tour has to transfer the money to LPTI,’’ he said. Approximately 400 tourists were stranded in Goa, according to the Consul. The matter was dealt with by the Russian Consulate in Mumbai. According to the Lanta-Tour website, the company had to down shutters due to ‘the inability to adequately provide funding for the services ordered.’
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