Ho Wah Travel's travel agent licence revoked

In a statement on Thursday, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said it revoked the license as the agency has ceased its business as a travel agent and started the process of winding up. This was in accordance with the Travel Agents Act.

Get the full story from The Straits Times.

Here is the press release from STB:

Ho Wah Travel Pte Ltd Revoked

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) would like to inform the public that Ho Wah Travel Pte Ltd (HWT) no longer holds a valid Travel Agent (TA) licence. Its licence (No.00598) has been revoked with effect from 6 August 2014 in accordance with the Travel Agents Act (Chapter 334) ("TA Act").

HWT's travel agent licence was revoked as it has ceased to carry on the business of a travel agent and commenced the process of winding up. Affected consumers should first attempt to contact HWT regarding the status of their booking or refund. In the event that HWT cannot be reached or fails to provide relevant service delivery or refund, consumers with travel insurance coverage should approach their insurance providers for assistance. Consumers who are not covered by travel insurance can seek the help of the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) or the Small Claims Tribunal (SCT), where appropriate.

The STB adopts a serious view against errant travel agents and will not hesitate to take necessary actions to protect consumers' interests and safeguard the reputation of Singapore's tourism sector. We would also like to take this opportunity to remind consumers to take measures to protect themselves, such as paying by instalments if travel bookings are made ahead of time and purchasing travel insurance that includes travel agent insolvency upon any payment.

For the latest list of licensed travel agents in Singapore, please visit the Travel Related Users' System (TRUST) website, https://trust.yoursingapore.com.