Nearly 300 Taiwanese tourists abandoned in Phu Quoc?

According to the Taiwan Tourism Administration, 292 Taiwanese tourists purchased tour packages with Taipei-based We Love Tour Company to travel to Phu Quoc during the Lunar New Year.

However, the group of tourists fell into an ironic situation when they arrived in Vietnam and were abandoned by the company. News of the group's troubles first appeared on February 10, after a Taiwanese tourist complained about the incident on social media, according to Focus Taiwan .

The group left Taiwan on Saturday, during the Lunar New Year, for Phu Quoc Island on a five-day tour.

The tour guide is asking the tourists to pay more money.

According to the newspaper, upon arriving in Phu Quoc, the group was picked up by a local travel company, Winner Vietnam International Travel Co., Ltd., and informed that each individual would have to pay an additional $720. Those who did not pay would have to continue their trip on their own or return to Taiwan.

Other members of Taiwanese tour groups also posted on Facebook a written statement from Winner explaining that the company decided to request additional payment because the Taiwanese partner did not transfer enough money for the Vietnam tour to continue.

Speaking with Thanh Nien on February 13, Mr. Ha Tuan Minh, Director of Winner Vietnam International Travel Company Limited, said: The company had a contract to welcome 3 groups of We Love Tour guests on 3 charter flights from February 10 to 14, but on January 31, the company canceled the contract because We Love Tour did not pay as committed.

"However, on February 9, a group of 292 We Love Tour guests took a flight to Phu Quoc but had no shuttle bus, no hotel reservation, and no tour guide. Therefore, We Love Tour repeatedly begged us to support the group and for humanitarian reasons, we agreed to arrange 4 buses and rent a hotel to serve them. The payment deadline for this was February 11, but We Love Tour still did not transfer the money, so we announced the end of the program," said Mr. Minh.

Taiwanese tourist group continues to visit Phu Quoc today

During this time, Winner also worked with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Ho Chi Minh City and the Taiwan Tourism Administration on the situation of the tourist group and the handling plan. Thereby, it was agreed that Winner would collect money directly from the tourists, and the Taiwanese company would transfer it back to the customers. However, many customers did not agree.

"After February 12, the guests who did not pay had no place to stay and once again, we were asked by the Taiwanese side for a second support. Therefore, we also arranged for 292 tourists to have a place to stay at the Sailing Hotel and from yesterday afternoon until now, the whole group continued to visit many places in Phu Quoc. The amount of money for the group, We Love Tour signed a debt note to pay on February 26, witnessed by all parties through an online meeting," said Mr. Minh, adding that he had reported the entire incident to the authorities of Kien Giang province.

According to Mr. Minh, tomorrow, February 14, the group of guests will go to the airport to return to Taiwan and the amount of money his company has spent on the group has been more than 3 billion VND. In total, the company has arranged 4 45-seat buses on February 9, 18 buses on February 10 and 10 people who know Chinese to support...

Tourist group visiting Phu Quoc

Taiwan's tourism authority said it will conduct a further investigation to determine whether We Love Tour violated regulations, according to Focus Taiwan .

According to Thanh Nien 's investigation, We Love Tour has not yet paid the cost of a charter flight back to Taiwan to a Vietnamese airline.

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Kien Giang Department of Tourism speaks out

Regarding the case of nearly 300 Taiwanese tourists stuck in Phu Quoc, on the afternoon of February 13, Mr. Bui Quoc Thai, Director of Kien Giang Department of Tourism, said that tomorrow (February 14), an inspection team will go to Phu Quoc to verify and clarify everything.

The authorities will review the contract between the two travel companies to handle the matter in accordance with regulations.

(Hoang Trung)

Taiwan's tourism authority is working with the Tourism Quality Assurance Association (TQAA) to negotiate with the Vietnamese side and ensure the safe return of Taiwanese tourists affected by the dispute.

Regarding tourists' rights, TQAA public relations representative Ringo Lee said anyone who has encountered a similar situation where their rights have been violated should request an invoice or payment receipt so that it can be provided to TQAA.

Mr. Lee said the association will support tourists who fall into such situations to resolve disputes and claim insurance when necessary.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/gan-300-du-khach-dai-loan-bi-bo-roi-o-phu-quoc-185240213085809658.htm