Booking Conditions and Forms

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BOOKING CONDITIONS
Between China Holidays Ltd, 4 Glentworth Street, London NW1 5PG and every person whose name appears on the Booking Form, the confirmation of booking is subject to the following conditions.

HOW TO BOOK
To phone us directly on 020 7487 2999 to check the availability. A signed and completed Booking Form together with a deposit of £100.00 per person is required in order to make a definite booking.

LATE BOOKINGS
In the case of bookings made less than 10 weeks before departure we require a deposit of 25%of the total cost. The booking is not confirmed and accepted until we send you written confirmation and invoice. If we are unable to confirm, all money paid by you to us will be refunded in full.

PAYMENT AND BALANCE
Payment should be paid to China Holidays Ltd. Full balance needs to be received 10 weeks prior to departure. In the case of late bookings less than 10 weeks before departure the full cost must be received by us within 7 days of our sending written confirmation and invoice or within a
shorter time as we may specify. If you do not pay the full cost within the time specified we reserve the right to treat your booking as a cancellation. In such cases you will forfeit the deposit paid and be liable to cancellation charges. An exchange rate of Chinese Renminbi 15.2003 to £1 sterling which was published at www.ft.com on 27th August 2007 will be used in currency exchanging. 2% handling fee charged on payment if paid by credit card.

TRAVEL INSURANCE
All participants on our tours must have adequate travel insurance. If you take the cover featured in our brochure, the premium must be sent with your deposit. If you arrange your own insurance we must have full details.

NUMBER OF CLIENTS ON GROUP DEPARTURES
All tours run to a maximum number of passengers, this is normally 20 people. This can vary from tour to tour. All tours are reviewed at least 10 weeks before departure which is the lastest date that a tour would be cancelled on account of low numbers. If we have to cancel your tour you will be offered a full refund or an alternative

AMENDMENT
BY YOU Any amendments after your holiday has been confirmed, you will be liable to pay an administration charge of £25 per person. Notification of required amendments must be in writing and should reach us at least 10 weeks before departure. Any amendments made within 10 weeks before departure are subject to cancellation charges as per the scale below.
BY US We reserve the right to make alterations to the advertised details of the tour if necessary. You will be informed of any alterations at the earliest opportunity prior to departure. However, if the alteration is forced upon us due to ‘force majeure’ no compensation will be payable. When the full balance has been received, you will be entitled to receive a compensation payment in accordance with the table below.
More than 60 days Nil
31 – 60 days £10
15 – 30 days £20
0 – 14 days £30

IMPOSED CHANGES TO HOLIDAY –
COMPENSATION PAYMENTS
There are strict criteria for compensation payments now laid down by the Authorities. Please refer to Air Transport Users Council for full details. However China Holidays Ltd will not be liable to pay compensation if cancellation or alterations to your travel plans has been caused by situations outside our control such as (BUT not exclusively):- Technical problems with any form of transport used by us; War or terrorist activity; Changes resulting from rescheduling or cancellations of confirmed flights; Industrial action; extreme climate conditions; natural disaster; outbreak of disease.

FORCE MAJEURE
We regret we can not accept liability and no compensation will be payable if the performance or prompt performance of our contractual obligation is prevented or affected by circumstances amounting to ‘force majeure’. Circumstances amounting to ‘force majeure’ include any event which we or the supplier of the services(s) in question could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid such as war or threat of war, industrial dispute, natural or nuclear disaster, adverse weather conditions, fire, terrorist activity, outbreak of disease, delays for safety reasons and all similar circumstances beyond our control. In the event of long flight delays, which result in lost holiday time, no refunds are given by hotels or unused accommodation, as rooms are held for delayed arrivals, not re-let. Similarly airlines do not offer compensation for flight delays. It is in recognition of the above that holiday travel insurance policy offers monetary compensation for flight delays.

CANCELLATION
If you wish to cancel your booking or alterations to the arrangements you may do so subject to the following condition. You must give us written notice of cancellation which must be signed by the person who signed the booking form. Cancellation is effective from the date upon which we receive the notice of cancellation. If we receive the notice of cancellation up to 10 weeks before the departure date you will forfeit your deposit,and insurance premium (if applicable). After that date you will additionally be liable for the following cancellation charges based on the time when we receive the notice of cancellation.

50 – 70days before	15%of total payment
29 – 49 days before	40%of total payment
15 – 28 days before	50%of total payment
8 –14 days before	60%of total payment
1 –7 days before	100%

If however you have requested an ‘Upgrade’ in your class of airline ticket we reserve the right to claim an additional cancellation fee if one is imposed on us by the airlines. In some circumstances airlines seek full payment for heavily booked flights earlier than is ‘normal’ in this event we will contact clients to seek agreement to require payment for these air tickets to secure the seat.

SURCHARGES
We guarantee that the price of your holiday will not be subject to surcharges except for government action such as VAT, currency and fuel increases. In these case we will absorb an amount equal to 2% of the holiday price excluding insurance premiums and amendment charges. Amounts over 2%, you have the right to cancel, we will however require notification within 7 days from the date printed on the surcharge invoice.

PASSPORT, VISA AND HEALTH REQUIREMENTS
When visiting China, it is the responsibility of the traveller to ensure they have a full passport, valid for at least 6 months and have had all required vaccinations. All British Citizens require a visa (and Permit, if visiting Tibet). Whilst we can assist in obtaining the required documents, the responsibility remains with the traveller.

DOCUMENT POST
Tickets and travel documents, unless collected from our office,are normally dispatched by normal Royal Mail services. Should clients require the added speed and security of Data Post or courier delivery this can be arranged and the net cost of this will be added to the final invoice. We accept no responsibility for items lost in normal post.

COMPLAINTS
If you have a complaint about any element of your holiday, you must inform your local representative immediately. Matters can be most easily sorted out for you on the spot whilst you are in your resort, when your local representative can see and understand the exact nature of any problems you have. In the unlikely event that matters cannot be resolved to your satisfaction in the resort, details of complaint should be notified in writing to us within 14 days of your return from holiday.

CONSUMER PROTECTION
The air holidays and flights in this brochure are ATOL Protected, since we hold an Air Travel Organiser’s Licence granted by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL 5019. In the unlikely event of our insolvency, the CAA will ensure that you are not stranded abroad and will arrange to refund any money you have paid to us for an advance booking. For further information, visit the ATOL website at www.atol.org.uk.

LAW
The law governing the contract between the Company and the Client is the Law of England and the contact is deemed to have been made at our office in London.

 

TRAVEL INSURANCE

We have arranged specialist travel insurance for our clients through Travel & General Insurances Co Plc Tower 42 Old Broad Street London EC2N 1HQ

The schedule of the cover below sets out the cover provided by China Holidays tailored insurance. A policy document that fully defines the cover, conditions and exclusions will be sent to you with your booking confirmation. When you receive your policy, please take the time to read it carefully to ensure you understand what is and what is not covered, and that all activities that you may wish to participate in are included.

Single Trip Policy –	Schedule of cover
Section	Sum insured per person
A Cancellation and C curtailment	Up to £5,000 Up to £5,000
B Emergency medical repatriation & associated expenses abroad Hospital benefit	Up to £2,000,000 £20 for each 24 hour period to a maximum of £500
C Emergency assistance in the UK	Up to £2,000
D Personal accident	Up to £15,000 (age limits apply)
E Delayed departure Abandonment Travel delay Missed departure Missed connection	Up to £5,000 £20 first 12 hours and £10 each subsequent 12 hours to maximum of £100 Up to £750 Up to £750
F Personal possessions Single item limit Valuables limit Delay baggage (after 12 hours) Travel documents	Up to £1,500 £300 £400 Up to £100 Up to £500
G Personal money	Up to £200
H Hijack	£50 for each 24 hour period to a maximum of £500
I Mugging	£50 for each 24 hour period to a maximum of £500
J Personal liability	Up to £1,000,000
K Legal expenses	Up to £25,000

Premiums including Insurance Premium Tax

Period	Per person
1 to 10 days 11 to 17 days 18 to 24 days 25 to 31 days 32 to 38 days 39 to 45 days	£30.00 £35.00 £40.00 £45.00 £51.00 £57.00