{April 17, 2009} -Victoria, BC - On April 15, 2009 Conquest Vacations announced the cessation of its tour operations. Conquest has been offering vacation travel to Cancun, Mexico and four destinations in Great Britain.  The notice advises that given their current situation, alterative travel arrangements will not be provided by Conquest.

If consumers have booked their travel through a travel agency, the BPCPA recommends pursuing the following avenues:

1. Customers who are booked and paid using cash/check through a travel agency are requested to contact their respective agency who may assist you with respect to a refund and/or for assistance with alternative travel arrangements.
2. Customers who have booked directly with Conquest Vacations will be contacted by Conquest or may contact Conquest at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with a booking reference number.
3. If they purchased travel services with a credit card, call or write your credit card company to determine if the charges can be reversed.

If all of these options have been exhausted and the consumer booked through a licensed BC travel agent or wholesaler, they may be eligible to claim under the Travel Assurance Fund.

The BC Travel Assurance Fund, under the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act and the BC Travel Industry Regulation, protects both consumers and travel agents licensed in British Columbia in their transactions. The Travel Assurance Fund (TAF) is a fund of last resort that compensates consumers who did not receive the travel services they purchased.  Please note that the TAF doesn’t cover all situations, including the cost of alternate travel arrangements, gift certificates, unused credits, nor will it top up insurance payments.  Consumers have up to six months from the date they did not receive the travel services to make a claim to the TAF.  If your claim meets the eligible criteria, the BPCPA may be able to help.

Please call our Inquiry Centre toll free at 1-888-564-9963 or visit the BPCPA website at www.bpcpa.ca for more information about the Travel Assurance Fund and for a list of licensed BC travel agencies and wholesalers.

For travel agents and wholesalers:

The TAF, under the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act and the BC Travel Industry Regulation, protects both consumers and travel agents licensed in British Columbia in their transactions. The fund provides compensation for consumers who did not receive the travel services they purchased through a BC licensed travel agent. As the fund is a fund of last resort, when making a claim to the fund, there are several steps that must be taken before submitting a claim:

• If your client’s payment was made directly to Conquest (Conquest Vacations appears on the credit card statement), the client should apply to their credit card provider for reimbursement of the travel services not provided.
• If your agency made payment using a company credit card directly to Conquest Vacations, you must apply to the credit card provider for reimbursement of the travel services not provided.
• If travel insurance was purchased, the client must make a claim to the insurance company.
• If you are assisting a client with a claim to the fund, the fund will require verification that your agency has remitted the funds to Conquest Vacations.
• If you chose to either reimburse your client or provide alternate travel services at your own expense and then apply to the fund, please note that the eligible amount that can be paid from the fund is limited to the original amount paid for the travel services that were not provided. The fund does not cover the cost of alternate travel services or additional expenses incurred.

More information:

• Find out more information about the Travel Assurance Fund;
• You can also contact our inquiry centre.