We care about your health and safety and want to assure you that we are attempting to make the best decisions we can with the information we have. We understand your frustration and your desire to know what will happen with your travel plans. This update will provide more information so that you can make good decisions.
If your tour is not within the next three months, we ask that you not contact us at this time. Due to the fluidity of the situation, we won’t have solid answers. We will notify you as soon as we have more information.
As previously mentioned, we are postponing our group tours until May 15th, 2020. In the coming weeks, we will decide how to handle our tours in late May and beyond.
To help you understand how we are making decisions, we have listed our priorities below.
Priority 1
Our first choice is to maintain the tours as scheduled, but we will only do so if the US and Canadian governments indicate that it is safe to travel to those destinations and if airlines are offering flights again. We will not put anyone’s health at risk. View USA Travel Advisories and Canadian Travel Advisories. Also, see World Health Organization travel advice.
Priority 2
If it is not possible to maintain the tour dates, our second priority is to reschedule the tour in consultation with the tour leader, tour suppliers, and tour participants. Hotels, in-country tour guides, and tour suppliers have different rescheduling policies that we must work within. We will attempt to reschedule tours when the crisis has passed.
Priority 3
If your tour is rescheduled, the funds you already invested will be applied to the new tour or where possible, to another TourMagination tour.
TourMagination’s Governing Body
Like all other travel companies in Ontario, Canada, TourMagination is governed by the Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO)—which means we must follow laws that promote consumer protection. TICO posted some helpful information for consumers that you might want to read. According to TICO, “Under Ontario law, there is no requirement for a travel company to refund or offer alternative arrangements to customers if a government travel advisory is in effect. However, many travel companies are offering goodwill gestures to clients under these circumstances.”
As outlined above, we are taking steps of goodwill to protect your health and provide you with travel.
INSURANCE
If our options are not satisfactory to you and you wish to cancel your travel plans, please check with your insurance company to determine if you are eligible for a refund.
If you have a travel insurance policy and you wish to cancel, previously purchased Trip Cancellation coverage might protect you (look at your policy details). Manulife* has determined that policies issued on or after March 5, 2020, will not be covered for any COVID-19 related issue as it is now considered a known event. If your policy was purchased before March 5, your claim is eligible for a refund provided a travel advisory from the Canadian government advises against travel to your country of destination.
If you have insurance with CSA*, Trip Cancellation and Interruption claims for fear of travelling are not payable, regardless of what the government travel advisory indicates. However, you might be covered for medical expenses if you are diagnosed with Coronavirus during or after your travel. A foreseeable event, such as being quarantined due to the Coronavirus, will not be covered.
*Read details about Manulife’s updated Premium Protection Plan Insurance (CFAR), which changed as of March 5, 2020.
*If you already have a CSA policy, you can look up the coverage details on the Generali website (parent company of CSA).
