Tourists Evicted, Complain to Police About Tyumen Travel Agency

A scandal is brewing in Tyumen over the sale of nonexistent tours. Families turned to «Marlen»s Travel Laboratory« to organize their vacations, paid money, and just before departure learned that the trip would not take place after all. People are now reporting to the police en masse.

«We lost 132,000 rubles (about $1,500 at current rates). Our tour to Vietnam was booked on 1 December, with departure scheduled for 30 January. But a week before the flight, we learned that our booking had been canceled,» says victim Natalia R.

The Tyumen woman admitted that she learned about this travel agency when it still had a good reputation. There were no bad reviews online. The girl sensed no trickery when booking the tour. As usual in such cases, she calmly chose a suitable hotel, made the payment, and even received a contract after some time. However, as Natalia later discovered, the document had no legal force.

«A week before departure, bad reviews about the travel agency began to appear. Clients attached receipts and complained that they couldn»t fly anywhere. But we had some sort of document in hand, which for some reason reassured me. Then, together with a lawyer, we decided to check what was up with the voucher. It turned out it had been canceled,« says Natalia R.

The agency owner denied nothing and did not particularly try to clarify how this had happened. Instead, she succinctly replied that she would return the money.

We looked at what is written about the agency on 2GIS. It turns out there are quite a few victims. Here are just some of the stories.

«Maria takes money and doesn»t book. The idea, of course, is superb. Doesn«t answer calls, reads messages, stays silent, makes excuses, strings people along with empty promises. In short, a complete »all-inclusive« package. Her signature move – »I«ll send cash tomorrow.» With blue-winged pigeons, I suppose. The agency«s accountant just can»t get the coveted SMS confirming the money transfer. Competitors... Yes, we are competitors. For our money, which this woman isn«t returning. We»ve contacted the authorities.«

«It still doesn»t fit in my head how one can even work with people like this. We turned to «Marlen»s Travel Laboratory« in full confidence that we were entrusting our vacation organization to a professional. The tour was fully paid, plans were made, vacation approved – everything seemed under control. Then came the cold shower. It turned out there were problems with the booking, zero specifics, vague answers, new explanations every time. At some point, it became clear there would be no trip. Just no trip – and that»s it. The hardest part isn«t even the ruined vacation, but the feeling of complete helplessness and indifference from the person you trusted with your money and rest. To questions – promises, to requests – silence. The money still hasn»t been returned.«

«We, a group of 12 people, decided to fly to Thailand. Everything went perfectly smoothly until 6 October 2025, when 100% payment for the tour was made. The money was accepted – responsibility, apparently, went on vacation before we did. Two weeks before departure, an amazing fact comes to light: there is no payment for the booking. Simply none. As if it never existed. Then began the thrilling series »1001 Versions,« where each new answer contradicts the previous one, but none leads to a real solution. The finale is predictable: the booking was canceled, the vacation ruined, 12 people left without a trip. A special feature of the program – the money still hasn»t been returned.«

«Upon arrival at the hotel, the reception desk couldn»t see our bookings. They put us up for one night! And then extended it day by day, maximum two days. Once they even evicted us with our suitcases! Constant brazen lying, fake bank payment slips about refunds (she owed us money for the voucher). She fed us plenty of «breakfasts,» that the money would come any moment.«

Clients indeed attach receipts to their reviews confirming that vouchers were issued through this company.

We managed to speak with a girl who, unlike the others, managed to get her money back for the failed trip.

«I am from Surgut myself, but was planning to fly to Phuket via Tyumen. I learned about this agency from a colleague who had already vacationed with them. I decided to try buying a tour because their prices were significantly lower than at the agency where I had previously bought vouchers. For example, my agent quoted me 250,000 rubles (about $2,800) for the tour, while this agency charged only 208,000 rubles (about $2,300). The difference is substantial,» says Yana K. to 72.RU journalist.

The girl bought the vouchers but received no documents. This didn«t bother her for two reasons: there was still time before departure, and the agency was »verified« (after all, her colleague had flown with them).

A few weeks later, Yana received a message from the agency owner with an even more attractive offer.

«She writes to me: »Call me urgently, your tour with another tour operator is cheaper, only 172,000 rubles (about $1,900).« I think: »Wow.« I don»t tell my husband anything. I thought I«d surprise him that I»m such a star, saving money. But I had to pay for the tour again. I asked how quickly the 208,000 would be returned, to which Maria hurried to reassure me. Said that by law, the bank returns everything within 30 days, but in practice even faster – about 10 days. And of course, I believed her and paid another 172,000 rubles. Again, no contract,« the girl says.

A month later, Yana began to realize that enough time had passed to provide documents and return the money for the «extra voucher.» She started calling the agency and demanding this.

«First, she sent all sorts of screenshots, like she sent me 208,000 rubles, but the money didn»t come to me. I immediately confronted her that this screenshot looked doctored. I asked to show the transaction history in the bank. After which, various excuses poured in that her accounts were blocked. In short, this dragged on for a long time. Then she sent me 193,000 rubles (about $2,100). I felt calmer,« says Yana.

The departure date was approaching, and there were still no documents indicating that the vacation would indeed take place. Recall that the girl had paid the agency twice. Then Yana decided to check 2GIS, where by this time angry reviews were pouring in about the agency.

The Surgut woman realized that the vacation was most likely falling through and that there simply was no tour. She left her review, after which the agency owner did return the remaining amount to her.

Now, Tyumen residents and other tourists who bought vouchers through «Marlen»s Travel Laboratory« are turning to the police. This information was confirmed to the 72.RU editorial office by the Tyumen Oblast Ministry of Internal Affairs (UMVD).

«Statements are indeed being received. A pre-investigation check has been appointed,» commented the press service of the department.

We tried to contact Maria Sultanova herself – the agency owner. But she did not explain anything to the journalist, instead briefly saying: «All affected parties will be settled with. I think within a month or sooner.»

How many people exactly have been affected by the actions of the travel company – is unclear. It is known that not everyone has yet filed a report with law enforcement.

Recall that this is not the first such case in Tyumen. Not long ago, we wrote about an agent who selling tourists nonexistent tours.