Travel Advisory: Tourism Bureau Releases List of 29 Problematic Travel Agencies

By / MOOK Scenic Spots Home Travel Life Network Editorial Team

With the peak summer travel season underway, the Tourism Bureau has published a list of 29 problematic travel agencies across Taiwan and is urging the public to choose only licensed, legitimate travel operators. Before signing any contracts with a travel agency, be sure to carefully read the terms of the agreement and the details of the itinerary. When making payments, request an official receipt for collection and payment and confirm that the agency has arranged performance guarantee insurance and purchased liability insurance before departure.

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications' Tourism Bureau has announced the operational status of travel agencies from January 13, 2016, to June 20, 2016, in accordance with Article 43 of the Development of Tourism Act as follows:

I. Two travel agencies had their licenses revoked:

1. Xiang’an (Taipei City, expelled by the Quality Assurance Association and failed to replenish the bond)
2. Yi Quan Travel Agency (Taichung City, expelled by the Quality Assurance Association announcement and failed to replenish the bond)

II. Twenty travel agencies applied for dissolution:

Your Guest International (Taipei City), Kaiqiang International (Taipei City), Xile International (Taipei City), Jianming International (Taipei City), Global Express (Taipei City), Tianwen (Taipei City), Guanlun International (Taipei City), Ruth (Taipei City), Tianlv (Taipei City), Jili Helen (Taipei City), Tianying (Taipei City), Yayue (New Taipei City), Iron Man International (New Taipei City), Daxiong (Taichung City), Yuanjing (Taichung City), Shenghao (Taichung City), Starry Sky (Changhua County), Han Gao (Changhua County), Harley (Kaohsiung City), Zhisheng International (Kaohsiung City).

III. Two agencies were listed as non-cooperative accounts by the Bills Exchange Center: Jinrui (Kinmen County), Nanwan (Kaohsiung City).

IV. Two travel agencies failed to purchase performance guarantee insurance as required: Oya (Taipei City), Longxifu (Penghu County).

V. Three travel agencies voluntarily applied for temporary suspension of business:

Xinxi International (suspended until 2016/12/31, Taipei City), Rixing (suspended until 2017/6/14, Taichung City), Dongdong (suspended until 2017/6/14, Taichung City)
 

The Tourism Bureau stated that for travel inquiries, you may call their toll-free hotline at 0800-211734 or the Quality Assurance Association complaint hotline at 02-25068185. Additionally, if travelers encounter emergencies abroad, they can seek assistance from the “Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Emergency Contact Center for Overseas Travelers (Global Toll-Free Hotline: 800-0885-0885).”