The ministry points out that many of the 225 inactive offices were just business interruptions. “It is therefore likely that these entrepreneurs are planning to return to the market of tours and related travel services,” the ministry expects. There have been bankruptcies in the last two years at 16 travel agencies, which is a record number. In the past, these were office units; in 2019, no company declared bankruptcy.
The Ministry of Minister Klára Dostalová (for YES) expects that the revenues of travel agencies will reach almost the pre-ideal level next year, ie roughly 25 to 30 billion crowns. The situation is to be significantly helped by digital covid certificates, progressive vaccinations and other measures taken within the EU.
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The ministry wants to use the improving office revenues and reintroduce contributions to the guarantee fund. This year, the offices did not have to send anything to the fund, from next year it should be 0.03 percent of annual sales. Since the draft decree, the ministry has promised to increase funding in the fund by 7.5 to nine million crowns. The guarantee fund is used in the event of the bankruptcy of a travel agency, where the security is not sufficient to compensate customers. At the moment, it contains about 60 million crowns, this year, for example, money from clients of the bankrupt CK Pragotour Plus was paid out from it. Others are to follow.
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Travel agencies do not agree with the reintroduction of the contribution. According to them, there is enough money in the fund, which was founded in 2018. “Travel agencies are hardly surviving now and should not be burdened with further payments,” believes Jan Papež, vice-president of the Association of Travel Agencies. Travel agencies agree that the largest sales were in June, which surpassed the sales of June 2019. After the tightening of government measures at the beginning of the holidays, the increase slowed down and people are waiting more for booking tours.
In the draft decree, the ministry admits that further bankruptcies may occur this year. At the end of August, the protection period expires, after which travel agencies will have to pay people money for unused vouchers within 14 days. According to the ministry, many offices have adapted their business to survive in the market. “However, the end of the protection period will mean a lot of pressure on liquidity for many travel agencies, which will most likely lead to further bankruptcies of travel agencies this year,” the ministry predicts.
|
Year |
Number of active travel agencies |
|
2018 |
852 |
|
2019 |
851 |
|
2020 |
782 |
|
2021 |
626 |
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