Well-established Kaohsiung travel agency Yi Hua Travel collapses unexpectedly, over 1,200 travelers affected

▲ Travel agency collapses suddenly, stranding passengers at the airport; estimated 1,000 victims. (Photo / Eastern TV)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Kaohsiung-based Yi Hua Travel shocked the industry on the 10th with its sudden, unexpected closure, leaving an estimated over 1,200 travelers affected. It is the largest-scale and highest-value travel agency collapse in terms of victim impact in nearly seven years. Industry insiders noted that the company was a long-standing Class A travel agency in Kaohsiung and had previously taken on tour packages for around 1,000 employees of a life insurance company. The first group was set to depart on the 10th but ended up “waiting for no one” at the airport. The sudden collapse came as a surprise to the industry.

The Travel Industry Quality Assurance Association stated that Yi Hua Travel had originally taken on a tour for over 1,000 employees of a life insurance company to Hokkaido and Hainan Island, but had not booked any flights or hotels. The owner of the travel agency is suspected of absconding with the funds, and Chen, the owner and his wife, are currently unreachable. The Quality Assurance Association said that affected travelers can apply for full compensation within 30 days.

Seven years ago, Taipei’s Chen Shin Travel also suddenly and unexpectedly closed down, ruining the holiday plans of 1,540 travelers—the highest number of victims and the greatest amount of financial impact at the time.

In the lead-up to the Lunar New Year during the 83rd year of the Republic of China (1994), the well-known “Pan Da Travel,” which had dozens of branches across Taiwan at the time, experienced its first-ever large-scale, completely unexpected collapse, affecting over 1,300 people and causing a huge stir.