Kommersant: Russian hoteliers asked to introduce “non-refundable rates” Kommersant writes about this.
In the request, hoteliers indicated that due to the imposition of a number of restrictions against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, they were faced with an increase in costs and a drop in the number of bookings. The authors of the message suggested introducing “non-refundable tariffs”, reducing the administrative burden, as well as limiting the existing resort tax.
According to the vice-president of Opora Rossii, Alexei Kozhevnikov, due to the increase in the cost of food and consumables, such as towels, linen, shampoos, as well as due to additional sanitary requirements for industry representatives over the past year, costs have increased by 20-25 percent.
It is noted that Finance Minister Anton Siluanov considers the initiative inappropriate. In his opinion, a decrease in the VAT rate does not guarantee a reduction in the cost of services, and a decrease in the indicator from 20 to ten percent for the hotel industry can lead to a reduction in federal budget revenues by 37.2 billion rubles a year.
Earlier in November, domestic tour operators asked the Federal Tourism Agency to clarify the rules for foreign tourists when checking into hotels and staying in Russia. Thus, clarifications are also required for the order of travelers visiting cultural and entertainment establishments and places of public catering.