STB suspends travel agent licence of Deal Travel

-

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has suspended the travel agent license of Deal Travel from Jun 4 until further notice, it announced in a press release on Friday (Jun 24). 

The suspension of the company's travel agent licence is due to its failure to submit "the necessary documents to verify its compliance with the minimum financial requirements" to STB according to regulations. The authority has also received complaints from Deal Travel's business partners regarding significant payments owed, it added.

The company, which was registered in April 2013, has listed vouchers for travel deals on e-commerce site Deal.com.sg to regional destinations such as Batam, Bintan and Hanoi. The details of its licence on STB's website list Deal.com.sg as its website, and an email address with the domain of parent company Ensogo. 

Ensogo reportedly shuttered its Southeast Asian operations earlier this month, and Thai newspaper Bangkok Post wrote on Wednesday that Ensogo Australia confirmed it will no longer provide financial support to its subsidiary Southeast Asian business units.

"These decisions have been made to preserve the company's cash for new investment opportunities," the Bangkok Post quoted Ensogo co-founder Kris Marszalek as saying. 

An official statement from the Australian Securities Exchange on Tuesday said the company had voluntarily requested a suspension in trading for its ordinary shares. One of the reasons was that it no longer intended to provide financial support to any of its subsidiaries and the withdrawal of financial support would likely result in these subsidiaries shutting down. 

As of Friday evening, both Deal.com.sg and Ensogo's websites were no longer operational. 

STB said that during the period of suspension, Deal Travel is required to fulfil its existing contractual obligations to its customers but is not allowed to accept new travel bookings.

Affected consumers should contact Deal Travel regarding the status of their booking or refund, and in the event that the company cannot be reached or fails to deliver the service contracted for or a refund, consumers with applicable travel insurance should approach their insurance providers for assistance, STB added.

Those not covered by travel insurance can also approach the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) or the Small Claims Tribunal (SCT), where appropriate.  

The latest list of licensed travel agents in Singapore can be found on the Travel Related Users' System (TRUST) website.


Source: STB suspends travel agent licence of Deal Travel

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Planning A Road Trip ? Here Are 7 Lesser Known Asian Highways That You Can Begin With

-
Image
After the opening of the Myawaddy-Thinggan Nyenaung-Kawkareik section of the Asian Highway Network that connects India and Thailand via Myanmar, many are intrigued about the other routes which come under the Asia Highway (AH) Network. Here are seven routes that you probably didn't know of which passed through India. 1. AH42 – China-Nepal-India Google Maps 3,754 kilometres long, this Asian highway is the nearest to Mount Everest. The route passes through China, Nepal and India and connects Lanzhou, the capital of  Gansu Province, China to Barhi in Jharkhand. 2. AH43 – Agra- Matara, Sri Lanka Google Maps Did you know that you could drive to Sri Lanka easily? Well, the AH43 connects Agra to Matara in Sri Lanka. The 3,042 km route through Agra (AH1), Gwalior (AH47), Nagpur (AH46), Hyderabad and Bangalore (AH45, AH47), Madurai. The road briefly ends at Rameswaram before starting in Sri Lanka at Talaimannar and passes through Mannar, Anuradhapura, Dambulla (AH44), Kuruneg
Read more

Bacardi GTR shuffles Asia team

-
Image
Bacardi Global Travel Retail (GTR) has appointed Vinay Golikeri as regional director Asia Pacific, as Irving Holmes Wong moves into the domestic China MD role. Bacardi GTR has appointed Vinay Golikeri as Bacardi GTR regional director Golikeri joined the Bacardi GTR team in 2011 as marketing director, and has since led the company's strategic drive to premiumise the portfolio. In his new role, Golikeri will be based in Hong Kong, reporting to Mike Birch, Bacardi GTR managing director. He brings with him experience in understanding regional dynamics both from his earlier domestic market career with Bacardi, and with other brands. Irving Holmes Wong moves to a new role as Bacardi Greater China managing director, based in Shanghai. While it is a domestic position, he will continue to work closely with Golikeri on synergies within the GTR business in his region. Leila Stansfield will replace Golikeri as Bacardi GTR customer marketing director. She joined the GTR team as f
Read more

Asia's Most Amazing Buddhas

-
Image
From the bespectacled to the bubbly, the daunting to the daring, Asia's Buddhas are among its most extraordinary cultural, artistic, and of course, spiritual attractions. With this in mind, the members of travel website Trippy.com offer their favorite places to pay homage. Did we miss one of your favorite Buddhas? Let us know on Trippy.com! © Santorini/Dollar Photo Club 1. Leshan Giant Buddha, Mount Emei Scenic Area; Sichuan, China Talk about looking good for your age. The unofficial granddaddy of the Buddha world, this statue was carved in the 8th century and is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At an amazing 233 ft. tall he's currently the largest Buddha on the planet. © yann&bernard Anceze/Dollar Photo Club 2. Shwemyethman Paya; Shwedaung, Myanmar If you thought Harry Potter was the first to wear oversized round glasses, think again. Known as the "Buddha with the Golden Spectacles," this Buddha has bee
Read more