The alliance of travel agencies talked about compensation for tourists due to fear of sharks

Insurance companies are always ready to assist tourists in case of accidents. However, no travel agency will compensate for the cost of the trip because people are afraid to go into the sea because of the sharks. Alexander Mkrtchyan, Vice President of the Alliance of Travel Agencies of Russia, told Izvestia on May 6.

Earlier, on May 5, Turkish media reported that vacationers on the beach in Antalya saw a two-meter shark near the coast, which scared the vacationers. This is not an isolated case for the region.

"There has not been a single case of shark attacks on tourists in Turkey in the last 30 years that Russians have been flying there. <...> If, God forbid, anything happens, any insurance company will always provide help and assistance," Mkrtchyan assured.

At the same time, the interlocutor noted that there would be no refund or compensation if the vacation was ruined for reasons beyond the control of the tour operator, including fear of sharks.

"It happens that they sold a ticket to the beach, but it started raining, or they sold a ticket to a ski resort, but there is no snow. <...> No hotel in the world will make a refund due to the fact that you cannot swim in the sea," Mkrtchyan said.

According to the tour operator, swimming in the sea is not included in the price of the trip. It also does not include force majeure situations that spoil or cancel this bathing, whether it's sharks or, more often, poisonous jellyfish.

"When a travel agency sells a ticket, it sells flights or travel, accommodation, meals, and excursions. But no one will ever write in the package — swimming in the sea, it is not for sale. <...> No one ever returns money," the expert concluded.

Zoologist Andrey Podluzhnov said on May 6 that when meeting a shark in the sea, you should behave as calmly as possible and not make unnecessary movements. According to him, humans are unattractive to this predator in terms of food. Sharks mostly hunt large fish or seals and rarely attack humans — these are isolated cases.