Published on : Saturday, July 26, 2014
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) would like to inform the public that Shin KaiGai Travel Services (SKGTS) and its director, Ms Wong Kim Eng, have been convicted in the State Courts on 23 July 2014 for failing to engage licensed tourist guides for its tours. SKGTS and Wong had contravened Regulations 20 and 21 of the Travel Agents Act (“TA Act”) and they were fined a total amount of S$7,500 each.
Upon investigations by STB officers, Wong admitted that between November 2012 and 2 January 2014, she had failed to engage licensed tourist guides for eight occasions. All eight contraventions were detected during STB’s enforcement checks. Three unlicensed tourist guides who were engaged in most of these occasions have been convicted on 9 April 2014 for having acted as tourist guides without valid tourist guide licences.
SKGTS failed to abide by the Regulations despite repeated cautions from STB that they must use a licensed tourist guide for the conduct of their tours. Out of the eight charges each against SKGTS and Wong, five charges against each were proceeded upon with the remaining three charges against each taken into consideration.
The STB takes a serious view against unlicensed tourist guiding and travel agents that engage the services of unlicensed tourist guides. Active on-ground enforcement is conducted regularly to ensure compliance and to deter unlicensed guiding. STB is committed to upholding the integrity of tourist guide legislation and safeguarding the reputation of Singapore’s tourism sector, and will not hesitate to take necessary action against those who contravene the legislation.
Under Regulation 29 of the Travel Agents Act, a licensee or its officers who engages the services of unlicensed tourist guides is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding S$5,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to both.
Source:- Singapore Tourism Board
Tags: Shin KaiGai Travel Services, Singapore Tourism Board
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