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- The route has been rebuilt: new fines for guides and guides will appear in the Russian Federation
The route has been rebuilt: new fines for guides and guides will appear in the Russian Federation
In Russia, there will be administrative responsibility for non-compliance with the legislation on tourism, it will affect guides and guides-translators. Heavy fines will be provided for violating the laws. The measure will minimize the number of situations that pose potential risks to the life and health of tourists, experts say. However, its implementation will require an integrated approach involving increased oversight by supervisory authorities, simplification of accreditation procedures and advanced training of specialists. What will happen to the tourist market is in the Izvestia article.
New sanctions
A new administrative responsibility will be established for tour guides and guides for non-compliance with the legislation on tourism. The relevant bill was approved by the Federation Council at the plenary session. Amendments are being made to the Code of Administrative Offences (CAO) of the Russian Federation.
Fines, in particular, are imposed for the provision of services for the passage of a tourist route without an instructor-guide or with a specialist who has not passed certification. Citizens will have to pay from 20 thousand to 40 thousand rubles for such an offense. For officials, the fine will amount to 70-100 thousand rubles. Legal entities face punishment in the form of a fine in the amount of 100-150 thousand rubles.
Liability is also provided for repeated violations of the law. It amounts to 50-70 thousand rubles for individuals, from 100 thousand to 150 thousand for officials and 150-200 thousand rubles for legal entities.
There is also a fine for providing services for accompanying and informing tourists without involving a certified guide. A similar responsibility is provided for guides and translation guides who have not passed the certification. Citizens will have to pay from 7 thousand to 10 thousand rubles for this, and 50-100 thousand rubles for legal entities.
The third fine will apply to instructors-guides who did not notify the authorized authorities about accompanying tourists before the start of the route and after its completion. For this, liability is provided in the form of a fine from 7 thousand to 10 thousand rubles. For repeated violations, you will have to pay from 30 thousand to 50 thousand rubles.
The law is aimed at establishing responsibility for offenses in the field of accompanying tourists in the urban and natural environment, as well as the activities of accommodation facilities, the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation explained to Izvestia.
According to the agency, fines will be imposed in the following cases:
— for the provision of services for the passage of routes requiring escort, without an instructor-guide;
— for the provision of services by an unapproved person;
— for the absence of a chest identification card when providing services (its presence is mandatory, the card contains the full name of the guide or guide, as well as a QR code, scanned which the tourist can verify that such a person has a certification);
— for failure to provide information about the presence of obstacles on the tourist route in order not to assign the route to the tourist routes that require escort;
— for failure by the instructor-guide to send notifications about exiting and returning from a dangerous route;
— for the provision of services by the guide that do not comply with the rules of service provision.
Responsibility, as specified in the Ministry of Economic Development, is also introduced for non-compliance with the rules of tourism in specially protected natural areas.
— The safety of tourists in the natural environment depends not only on the natural conditions, but also on the qualifications of the instructor-guide who accompanies the group. Therefore, it is important to be accompanied by a certified instructor-guide when entering a dangerous route," the ministry's press service stressed.
Fines are set at a fairly substantial level, so it will be cheaper and easier to comply with existing requirements. At the same time, regional authorities, within the framework of state control, strive to use all available instruments of influence, without reaching penalties, the department added.
A common problem
The process of entry into force of the law on mandatory certification of guides lasted almost four years, recalls Inna Ryndina, commercial director of the Russian Seasons hotel group. The decisive factor for its launch was the increase in the number of tourist trips in 2025.
— Over the past three years, the percentage of Russian tourists traveling independently has grown to 60-80%. And it is for this reason that the quality of the services provided must correspond to the highest level," the Izvestia interlocutor emphasizes.
The changes made to the Administrative Code regarding the work of guides and the organization of tours are important because they are aimed at ensuring safety, Natalia Zaitseva, Professor of the Department of Hotel and Tourism Management at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, is convinced.
Liability is provided for non-compliance with certain provisions of the legislation. This is primarily due to the fact that tour guides, translation guides, instructors and guides are required to pass certification, said Yuri Barzykin, Vice President of the Russian Union of Travel Industry, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation for Entrepreneurship in Tourism. There are rules for the provision of relevant services that specialists are required to comply with.
According to relevant departments and regional bodies, violations in the field of sightseeing activities are recorded with noticeable regularity, says Alexander Osaulenko, director of the Turpomosh Association, Vice-President of the PCT. This is especially true for regions with a high tourist flow, such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Golden Ring, Crimea and the Krasnodar Territory.
— Among the most common problems are the work of unaccredited guides, non—compliance with safety standards and the provision of false information. The lack of a unified control system has so far contributed to the persistence of such violations, which underlines the relevance of the adopted law, the expert believes.
In recent years, many cases of violations of existing regulations have been identified in terms of ensuring the safety of tourists, including during the passage of dangerous and difficult routes, Zaitseva confirms.
— One of these cases occurred in 2022 in Kamchatka, when eight tourists and one accompanying guide died while climbing Klyuchevskaya Sopka. The violations revealed during the investigation showed the absence of contracts with guides who provided climbing services, violation of the current norms of supervision by guides — guides of tourists, and so on," the interlocutor of Izvestia gives an example.
Such violations are dangerous because they pose risks to life and health, confirms Barzykin. Non-compliance with the law does not necessarily apply to mountain routes. It can also be diving, which requires special equipment, instruction and strict observance of all rules.
In case of violation of the requirements of the legislation on categorical routes, the price may be the life of a traveler, agrees Nikita Korostelev, Director of Government Relations at the Tutu travel service.
— The instructor-guide knows about the notification of the Ministry of Emergency Situations about entering the route, knows the specifics of the climatic features and daylight hours of a particular region, when and how quickly the weather changes, when to continue the journey, and when to stop. Thanks to this knowledge and experience, he understands who can handle a particular route and who should get off it," the expert explains.
Meanwhile, the statistics of the Ministry of Emergency Situations are disappointing: in 2023, rescuers helped 47 registered tour groups and 239 unregistered ones. At the same time, 354 tourists, including 38 children, were rescued. During the year, 20 people died on the routes, Korostelev cites data.
The proposed measures will minimize such situations, but they must be accompanied by an established certification and recertification system so that everyone can pass it, Barzykin is sure. Today, travel agencies have great difficulties attracting certified guides, says Zaitseva.
"Colleagues participating in the certification commissions often said that due to the acute shortage of certified guides, they had to provide certification to guides who did not fully meet the existing requirements," she draws attention.
However, according to the expert, this problem is temporary and will be gradually resolved. However, this will require a comprehensive approach. Special attention should be paid to the issues included in the certification, Barzykin believes. They should correspond to the theme — routes and objects that meet on them.
Not just fines
The existing violations are also largely related to problems in the market, says Yuri Barzykin.
— For decades we have witnessed situations when students from different countries took tourists from their countries instead of guides and translation guides, displacing Russian specialists from the market. This not only violates the current rules, but also leads to a distortion of information about Russia and its history," the expert notes.
Today, there is an acute shortage of qualified personnel, says Natalia Zaitseva. Currently, there are many senior citizens and pensioners among the guides. Their pay is low, and the conditions are difficult — often it's footwork, including on rough terrain or in bad weather.
— At the same time, the level of demands from customers is constantly increasing, which leads to unfounded consumer complaints. Therefore, it is important to increase the prestige of this profession, attract young people, and introduce new innovative technologies that facilitate the work of tour guides," the Izvestia interlocutor is convinced.
By itself, the introduction of administrative responsibility is an important step towards streamlining the activities of tour guides and guides, Alexander Osaulenko believes. The system of fines creates financial and reputational incentives to comply with the law, which will help reduce the number of violations.
— On the one hand, fines are a tool of punishment, and on the other, they are a measure of education and even enforcement of the law. Most likely, the new fines will become a preventive measure and force illegal businesses to operate openly within the legal framework, Nikita Korostelev believes.
However, in order to achieve maximum effect, an integrated approach is needed, including increased control by supervisory authorities, simplification of accreditation procedures, as well as professional development of specialists in the tourism industry, emphasizes Alexander Osaulenko.
"The combination of punitive measures with educational and organizational initiatives will not only minimize violations, but also increase the overall safety of tourists," the expert explains.
Law-abiding business in this case, according to Osaulenko, is ready to assist in restoring order in this area, since the state alone will not be able to effectively cope with existing challenges.
— To achieve this goal, active interaction between government agencies and professional market participants is necessary. It is extremely important to ensure the participation of conscientious industry representatives, whose experience and professionalism are essential for the formation of a stable and transparent system. Joint efforts will create conditions for improving the quality of services and building confidence in the tourism industry," the Izvestia interlocutor summarizes.
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