Bulgaria's Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism has handled the crisis involving hundreds of Russian and Finnish tourist stranded in the country for days incompetently, according to the National Tourist Board.
Ivo Marinov, Deputy Minister responsible for tourism, could have contacted the Bulgarian Consumer Protection Agency, which is within the same Ministry, tin order to resolve the case, the organization has stated.
The National Tourist Board, one of the largest tourist sector organizations in the country, has also accused Alma Tour, one of the two companies whose actions triggered the scandal, of not informing its customers that their flight could be annulled.
Alma Tour and its subsidiary Alma Tour Fly are insured for a total of BGN 400 000, a sum large enough to cover 6-8 rescue flights, Rumen Draganov from the organization has pointed out, as cited by the Dnevnik daily.
The Bulgaria Air airline carrier should have also informed its customers that problems with their flights might occur, the National Tourist Board believes.
Some 700 Russians, 200 Finns and dozens of persons from Lithuania waited for days to get home after their flights were canceled last Friday and Saturday, due to an alleged EUR 3.6 M debt to Bulgaria Air from Alma Tour.
On Sunday, a plane of "Rossiya" (Russia) airlines, transporting some of the Russian tourists, who were stranded at Bulgarian Black Sea airports, landed in St. Petersburg.
The aircraft with 130 on board had arrived at the Pulkovo airport at 2:31 am and the passengers have been transported to their homes by specially arranged for buses.
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