Safeguards must be developed for Greek businessmen and Russian tourists in the event of a tour operator going bankrupt, Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni said on September 17, during a meeting with Russian Ambassador to Athens Andrey Maslov. The tourism minister was referring to the shutdown of a string of Russian tour operators this summer.

Kefalogianni stressed that the Greek side handled all relevant situations with the utmost care in order to reduce the negative impact of the problems that were created. She also commented on the   excellent cooperation between Greece and Russia on the issue.

She has invited Russia’s Deputy Culture Minister responsible for tourism issues, Alla Malinova, to visit Athens on 23 October, on the occasion of the meeting of the tourism ministers of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC) Member States. The Hellenic Chairmanship of the BSEC began on July 1 and ends on December 31, 2014.

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