The Tourism Bureau yesterday asked Skylark Travel Service Co (天喜旅行社) to submit guarantee funds of NT$10.9 million (US$330,000) to the bureau after the company was found to have financial problems.
“The consumers’ interests must not be compromised,” bureau division chief Chen Mei-hsiu (陳美秀) said. “The company’s operational license will be annulled if it fails to provide the guarantee within 15 days.”
Skylark faced similar problems last year.
To dismiss consumer concerns, the company’s president, David Kuo (郭正利), placed NT$30 million in cash on a table during a press conference last year to demonstrate the company’s financial viability.
Skylark was reported on Monday to have bounced checks of NT$6 million, causing the Travel Quality Assurance Association (TQAA) to cancel its membership. The Tourism Bureau also decided on Monday night to suspend the company’s operations and demanded that it submit a plan on how it will improve its financial situation within three months.
“The bureau will hire a certified accountant to audit its plan and decide if it can resume operations,” Chen said.
Until then, Chen said that Skylark could not solicit customers or arrange package tours. The TQAA is a government-recognized association that helps regulate the nation’s travel agents.
The Tourism Bureau refunded 90 percent of Skylark’s guarantee after the company joined the TQAA.
The Tourism Bureau said Skylark still has about 300 customers scheduled to travel before the end of this month, while another 350 customers have booked trips over the summer.
Meanwhile, 61 Skylark customers traveled to Japan yesterday as planned.
The company also said yesterday that it would contact its customers and ask them if they wanted to continue with their travel plans, which will be handled by Skylark’s sister corporation, La Deluxe Travel (喜達旅行社). The company said it would also give a full refund if customers want to cancel their trips.
Kuo, however, said that the bureau’s punishment was too harsh. He said that Skylark owns many properties, the value of which are greater than the company’s debts.
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