The Tourism Bureau said yesterday that travel agencies were entitled to deduct 5 percent from the total cost of package tours if customers cancel tours to Thailand.
After supporters of former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra launched a new series of protests, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday raised its travel alert to Bangkok and seven other cities surrounding the capital to “orange,” meaning that travelers should avoid visiting these areas.
STANDARDIZED
The Tourism Bureau said that standardized contracts regulating overseas tours have clear instructions on how the travel agencies should refund customers in the event of an orange travel alert.
If customers decide to withdraw from the tour, travel agencies must refund their money after deducting no more than 5 percent of the total tour cost. The deducted amount will be used to pay the processing fees to cancel tickets and visa application fees, the bureau said.
POSTPONE
If customers do not want to lose any money, they can opt to postpone the trip or visit other areas instead, the bureau added.
The Travel Quality Assurance Association (TQAA) said that agencies generally do not charge exactly 5 percent of the package cost.
They collect the funds on behalf of airlines and other organizations, not for themselves.
When asked if the protests launched by Thaksin’s supporters were likely to affect travel to Thailand, TQAA spokesperson Jones Chen (陳屬庄) said the association predicted the protests would be over within a week.
Chen said that this was not the first pro-Thaksin protest.
Apart from the one in November 2008 that shut down the airport, all the protests have ended peacefully, he said.
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