Travel Agents Act
(CHAPTER 334)

(Original Enactment: Act 41 of 1975)

REVISED EDITION 1998
(30th May 1998)
An Act for the licensing of travel agents and for the regulation of their operation and for purposes connected therewith.
[1st December 1976]
PART I
PRELIMINARY
Short title
1.  This Act may be cited as the Travel Agents Act.
Interpretation
2.  In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —
“Board” means the Singapore Tourism Board established under section 3 of the Singapore Tourism Board Act (Cap. 305B);
“code of conduct” means a code of conduct mentioned in section 28(1)(ga)(ii);
[Act 47 of 2017 wef 01/01/2018]
“licence” means a licence granted or renewed under section 7;
[Act 47 of 2017 wef 01/01/2018]
“licensee” means any person who holds a licence;
[Act 47 of 2017 wef 01/01/2018]
“regulations” means regulations made under this Act;
[Act 47 of 2017 wef 01/01/2018]
“relevant individual”, in relation to an applicant for a licence or to a licensee, means —
(a)where the applicant or licensee is an individual, the applicant or licensee, as the case may be;
(b)where the applicant or licensee is a partnership, a partner of the partnership;
(c)where the applicant or licensee is an unincorporated association, a member of the governing body of the unincorporated association; and
(d)where the applicant or licensee is a company or other body corporate, any director of the company or officer holding a similar managerial or executive position in the body corporate;
[Act 47 of 2017 wef 01/01/2018]
“supply”, in relation to a travel product, includes the sale, or arranging for the provision, of the travel product;
[Act 47 of 2017 wef 01/01/2018]
“tour” means a visit to one or more places or points of interest, whether in Singapore or elsewhere, in which the participant or participants in the visit is or are, for any part of the visit, accompanied by an individual who is not a participant of the visit;
[Act 47 of 2017 wef 01/01/2018]
“travel product” means any goods or services described in section 4(1).
[Act 47 of 2017 wef 01/01/2018]
Application
3.—(1)  Nothing in this Act is to be construed as requiring any of the following persons to hold a licence for the purpose of performing that person’s functions, exercising that person’s powers or carrying out that person’s duties as such person:
(a)any executor or administrator;
(b)any trustee;
(c)any liquidator or official receiver;
(d)any trustee in bankruptcy of a bankrupt estate;
(e)any trustee under —
(i)a composition or scheme of arrangement;
(ii)a deed of arrangement; or
(iii)a deed of assignment;
(f)any donee of a lasting power of attorney —
(i)which is granted under the Mental Capacity Act (Cap. 177A);
(ii)under which the donor confers on the donee authority to make decisions in relation to the donor for the purposes of this Act; and
(iii)the donor of which, after the creation of the lasting power of attorney, lacks capacity within the meaning of the Mental Capacity Act;
(g)any deputy who is appointed or deemed to be appointed for an individual by the court under the Mental Capacity Act, and who is conferred power to make decisions in relation to that individual for the purposes of this Act.
[Act 16 of 2016 wef 10/06/2016]
(2)  Notwithstanding anything in subsection (1), it shall not be lawful for any of the persons referred to in that subsection in whom is vested the management of the business of any travel agent to carry on that business at any time after the expiration of 3 months from the date on which the management of that business was so vested, unless that person holds a licence.
(3)  Nothing in this Act shall be construed as relieving any person from the obligation to take out a licence under any written law for the performance of any function, the exercise of any power or the carrying out of any duty for which a licence shall have been required if this Act had not been passed or to pay the fee payable in respect of any such licence.
(4)  Nothing in this Act shall be construed as requiring the Official Assignee performing his duties as the trustee in bankruptcy of the property of a bankrupt to hold a licence.
(5)  This Act does not apply to the Government, or a body established by or under a public Act for a public purpose.
[Act 47 of 2017 wef 01/01/2018]
Business of travel agent
4.—(1)  Subject to this section, a person carries on the business of a travel agent if the person carries on, or advertises or holds himself out as carrying on, a business of any one or more of the following:
(a)supplying any person a right to travel on any conveyance;
(b)supplying any person —
(i)a right to travel on any conveyance to; and
(ii)a right of accommodation at a hotel or similar boarding premises at,
one or more places, whether in Singapore or elsewhere;
(c)purchasing, or reserving, for resale to a person a right to travel on any conveyance;
(d)supplying any tour (whether or not organised by the person) to any other person;
(e)such other similar activity as may be prescribed.
(2)  An individual who is employed by a licensee or who is an agent of a licensee does not carry on the business of a travel agent by reason only of carrying on in the course of the individual’s employment or agency, as the case may be, any activity mentioned in subsection (1).
(3)  However, a person does not carry on the business of a travel agent if —
(a)for the activity mentioned in subsection (1)(a), the person carries on the activity only in respect of a conveyance the person owns;
(b)for the activity mentioned in subsection (1)(a) or (c), the person carries on the activity only in respect of a conveyance —
(i)used for a regular route service within the meaning of the Bus Services Industry Act 2015 (Act 30 of 2015);
(ii)used for a community bus service or courtesy bus service, within the meaning of the Bus Services Industry Act 2015, and that travels only within Singapore; or
(iii)used for a train service within the meaning of the Public Transport Council Act (Cap. 259B);
(c)for the activity mentioned in subsection (1)(b), the person carries on the activity only in respect of —
(i)a conveyance the person owns; and
(ii)a hotel or similar boarding premises the person owns or operates; or
(d)for the activity mentioned in subsection (1)(d), the person carries on the activity only in respect of any place or point of interest that the person owns or operates.
[Act 47 of 2017 wef 01/01/2018]
Board responsible for the administration of this Act
5.  The Board shall be responsible for the administration of this Act and may authorise any of its officers to exercise any of the powers conferred upon and perform any of the functions imposed upon the Board by this Act on its behalf.