Dozens of Romanian tourists who purchased holidays through local travel agency Omnia Turism remained blocked in foreign countries after the suicide of the agency’s owner led to an extreme situation. Over 200 other have lost the money paid for holidays they were planning to take at the end of this year.

The local media announced earlier this week that local investor George Negru, owner of the Omnia Turism travel agency, died in an apparent suicide. Right after the news broke out into the media, the travel agency’s bank accounts were blocked, which means that the agency couldn’t make any more payments.

Thus, some 89 Romanian tourists remained blocked abroad, finding themselves in situations in which their accommodation or return flight hadn’t been paid for. The Ministry of Tourism recommended those who bought tours from Omnia Turism to not go on holidays anymore. It also said that it has found solutions to bring the 89 tourists back home.

The National Association of Travel Agencies (ANAT) announced that it would cover the transport costs from Phuket to Singapore for a group of 47 tourists who went to Thailand through Omnia Turism so that they can return to Romania at the end of their holidays. ANAT also negotiated lower accommodation fees for a group of 39 tourists in Egypt whose hotel hadn't been paid for.

Tourism minister Mircea Titus Dobre said on Wednesday, October 18, that the damage caused by Omnia Turism is the biggest after the 1989 Revolution, given that the agency sold packages worth some EUR 7.5 million for next year to 8,500 clients. It also received another EUR 433,000 from 202 customers for the period October 17 – December 31, 2017.

“From the legal and moral point of view, this travel agency worked perfectly, fulfilling all the characteristics of an agency of good faith. There were clients who had been traveling with this agency for 10 years. What I can tell you at this hour is that for the period October 17 - December 31, 2017 there are EUR 433,139 collected from individuals and companies, namely 202 tourists who were supposed to leave on their trips. That’s no longer possible as the company doesn’t have this money anymore,” the minister said, reports local Agerpres.

He also mentioned that the travel agency had only EUR 30,000 left in its accounts, and that the tax agency ANAF will start checking this area of business, because the total damage caused to the state can’t be estimated yet.

At present, there are 244 tourists who are on holidays purchased via Omnia Turism. Most of them decided to pay for the accommodation themselves.

The tourism minister also said that a total of 88 business licenses of Romanian travel agencies have been withdrawn this year, but at the moment there are 2,062 licensed travel agencies operating in Romania.

As a result of the bankruptcies of several tourism agencies registered in the last two years, the Ministry of Tourism promoted in August a draft Government Ordinance that created the legal framework necessary to establish the financial mechanisms for guaranteeing tourist packages, in order to oblige agencies selling tourist packages to ensure the full sales. The Government adopted the ordinance in late August this year, but its provisions haven't been applied yet.

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Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com