Warsaw - SPA
Scores of Poles are canceling their vacations following a wave of bankruptcies
during the worst year in the history of the sector, according to a
survey published Friday in the daily Gazeta Prawna quoted by dpa.
Some 44 per cent of Poles have canceled the vacations they booked
with travel agents and tour operators and decided to organize their
get-aways themselves, according to the Homo Homini poll.
Clients were also found to have become more cautious in picking a
travel agency: 45 per cent of respondents said their choice was based
on the reputation of the agency, while 13 per cent said that price
was the deciding factor.
Estimates suggest up to 40,000 people have had their vacations
shortened or canceled after their travel agency went bankrupt and did
not have enough insurance funds to cover all the costs. Provincial
offices have spent some 6 million zloty (1.8 million dollars) to
bring stranded tourists back home.
Summerelse on Thursday became the ninth agency to go bankrupt
during the holiday season, when thousands of Poles travel to popular
spots such as Egypt and Greece.
The Supreme Audit Office said this week that tour operators and
travel agencies had not done enough to protect their clients, and
that it would launch an inspection into the sector.