A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday.
They added that they were closely monitoring the situation.
Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month.
Photo: Reuters
Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as scheduled.
SET Tour said that airports and airlines in South Korea had not announced any concrete measures in response to the upcoming strike and that it would keep in close contact with them.
It said that although it had not received any demand for refunds, it would work on emergency response plans in case the situation in South Korea disrupts planned tours.
A labor strike is considered a force majeure event in standardized overseas tour contracts, the Tourism Administration said, adding that travel agencies can refund customers after deducting all non-refundable items.
If travel plans were disrupted because of events that occurred during the tour, travel agencies are responsible for taking care of travelers, it said.
In other news, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) said that it has partnered with Star Cruise and the Kaohsiung City Government to give cruise ship travelers more flexible accommodation arrangements.
Travelers from cities or countries north of Yunlin County who are scheduled to board Star Navigator in Kaohsiung from Nov. 16 can receive a subsidy of NT$500 per person from the Kaohsiung City Government if they purchase a High Speed Rail holiday package including the train fare and a one-night stay in the city.
Travelers can choose to spend one night in Kaohsiung before boarding the ship or the night they disembark, THSRC said, adding that travelers can choose from 40 partner hotels.
Moreover, the city government said that it would give away an additional NT$100 voucher redeemable in local shopping districts and at night markets, as well as a 24-hour sightseeing pass.
Star Cruise said it would offer up to NT$2,000 in onboard spending credits per cabin.
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