Our Commitment to You
A. YOUR BOOKING
Once you have paid your deposit which is non-refundable, the booking is considered confirmed and you have read and understood these terms and conditions. We will reserve your tour at this point. The deposit and final payment can be settled either by local cheque, cash, credit card or bank transfer. You will be notified by us on when the balance is to be settled. In case of discounts or special offers, payments by credit card are not accepted. Your booking is considered confirmed for all other persons travelling with you, as well as for the persons in whose name you made the booking. It is assumed that the people travelling with you have also read and understood the terms and conditions. We reserve the right to cancel a tour if the minimum required number of travelers is not met. In such case you will be informed at least 14 days before the departure date. When booking, it is important that the names you give us match exactly with the information in your passport. If the names given to us do not match the passport and an airline ticket is issued incorrectly, the airline will charge a minimum fee of €50 up to a maximum of €115. KERCEM A TOURS will also apply an administration fee of €50 for time spent on rectifying such corrections.
B. OUR PRICE POLICY
The prices indicated here on our website are the prices at the time of publication of the tours and are per person. Child rates apply when children share the room with 2 or 3 adults. At the time of booking, it is possible that the actual price of the selected tour may be higher than the price indicated in the program. In such cases, we reserve the right to apply a price adjustment. However, we guarantee that the price of your trip will not be increased after your booking and deposit payment, except under the following circumstances: changes in exchange rates, increases in taxes or duties, rises in fuel costs charged by airlines, or any other factors that directly or indirectly affect the overall price.
C. OUR ASSURANCE ON STANDARDS, DUTIES AND OUR COMMITMENTS
Our travel descriptions are based on information received from hoteliers and other service providers. It is international policy that check-in to rooms must be no earlier than 3:00 PM and check-out from rooms must be by 9:00 AM. KERCEM A TOURS is not responsible for any thefts that may occur in the hotel or on the bus and therefore insists on adequate insurance coverage. Unless otherwise stated, entrance fees to museums, exhibitions, boat and train rides and the use of cable cars are charged separately. Excursions (sightseeing) listed as ‘optional’ are charged separately and include the cost of bus transfers unless otherwise stated, while entrance fees are charged separately and local guides are not provided. The prices are clearly indicated in the price box in the tour programme. Only the services listed in the ‘Included In The Price’ section are actually already paid for. Please note that programmes are published many months in advance and therefore an advertised facility or entertainment, or the availability of a performer, may not be available at the time stipulated in the programme. In such case if known to us, we will endeavour to inform you at our earliest and if possible prior to the tour date departure. Inclement weather, necessary maintenance or cleaning, lack of support or demand may affect the actual availability of certain activities or facilities, as may, for example, local licensing laws, religious or local holidays, or restrictions imposed by local agencies or governments. Similarly, itineraries may have to be changed on short notice due to weather, road or traffic conditions, mechanical breakdowns, police activity, etc. Each group tour is accompanied by a Maltese speaking tour leader who is responsible for the conduct of the programme. Under no circumstances is the tour leader required to perform any work beyond the official programme (unless it is an emergency), and he or she is not required to escort group members through stores, flea markets or theme parks. As a responsible tour operator, we feel it is important to mention these possibilities, even though they are very rare.
If you have a specific concern or complaint, please inform your tour leader immediately so that we can address and resolve the issue on the spot, where possible.
That said, we would like to provide the following clarification regarding our liability. KERCEM A TOURS has taken all reasonable steps to ensure that proper arrangements are in place for all advertised trips. However, we have no direct control over the delivery of services by third-party providers. Therefore, KERCEM A TOURS cannot be held responsible for cancellations of activities due to inclement weather, strikes, the unavailability of performers, or other circumstances beyond our direct or indirect control. Additionally, we are not liable for flight delays or any resulting consequences.
Please note that any special requests made on your behalf, such as adjacent rooms or specific seating arrangements at dinner, are subject to availability and cannot be guaranteed.
D. IF WE CHANGE YOUR HOLIDAY ARRANGEMENTS
Before your departure date, we carefully plan your holiday to ensure you have the best possible experience. However, while rare, changes to your travel plans may be necessary, and we reserve the right to make such adjustments at any time. For instance, flight schedules may be altered, a hotel may become unavailable due to closure or overbooking, itinerary changes may be required, or the trip may not achieve the minimum number of participants necessary for it to proceed economically.
If any changes become necessary, we will notify you or your travel agent as soon as possible before the trip commences, striving to maintain the overall quality and standard of your holiday experience.
E. IF WE CANCEL YOUR HOLIDAY ARRANGEMENTS
It may happen that we have to cancel your holiday. For example, sales for this trip may not reach a level that is economical for us. This cancellation is at the discretion of KERCEM A TOURS. We reserve the right to cancel your holiday under any circumstances, and in that event we will refund all money paid by you or offer you an alternative holiday of comparable standard, if available.
F. YOUR FLIGHT
Please see the programme for details on the airlines we expect to use. The choice of airline is solely at the discretion of KERCEM A TOURS. We reserve the right to use other airlines and/or aircraft as needed. Flight times are subject to confirmation and some changes. Some flights may have stopovers, and since the factors affecting this are not always known prior to the departure date, we cannot always inform you in advance. Flights are subject to the granting of permits and licences by the authorities in Malta and overseas. In the event of a change or cancellation of your flight, as described in this section and in sections D and E, we shall not be liable for any additional costs or consequential damages arising directly or indirectly from independent contractual arrangements between the customer and any third party. KERCEM A TOURS is not responsible for the service provided by the airline before, after and during the flight. KERCEM A TOURS is not responsible if any part of a trip is lost due to flight delays, breakdowns or similar events.
G. HEALTH
Health facilities, hygiene and risk of disease vary around the world. It is your responsibility to check if you are healthy enough to travel. In case you get sick, KERCEM A TOURS is not responsible under any circumstances, although the tour guide will do his best to help you. You must follow all necessary advice regarding your health and take certain treatments within the prescribed time (this varies and may be necessary months before departure) so that these treatments are effective on the day of departure. We advise you to contact your doctor or call the ‘International Travel Vaccination Bureau’ at 21239260, Monday to Friday between 8:00 am and 1:00 pm.
H. FORCE MAJEURE
The itineraries described may be changed for reasons of force majeure such as technical defects of airplanes/ships/buses/hotels, strikes, wars, closure of ports, quarantine. Bad weather, etc. In such cases neither KERCEM A TOURS nor the owners of the ships/airplanes/buses/hotels are responsible.
I. COVID -19 CANCELLATIONS
If a tour is cancelled due to Covid – 19, guests will be offered a credit (via email) for the amount paid by guests to Kercem A Tours, redeemable on any future Kercem A’ tours tour (without any conditions regarding time or number of people). If guests request a refund instead of a voucher, they will receive their money back no later than 6 months from the date of cancellation.
YOUR COMMITMENT TO US
a) DEPOSIT PAYMENT AND BALANCE OF PAYMENT
The deposit paid when booking a trip is not refundable by KERCEM A TOURS. The balance is due up to six (6) to eight (8) weeks before departure or immediately if you booked six (6) weeks before departure. If you book through a travel agent, be sure to make payment to the travel agent within a reasonable time so that they can make payment to us in a timely manner. If for any reason we have not received your payment in time, we reserve the right to cancel the booking.
b) IF YOU CHANGE YOUR BOOKING
Should you wish to change your travel plans, we will do our best to accommodate your requests as best we can. A processing fee will be charged for any such change to your booking within six (6) weeks prior to the departure date. We reserve the right to pass on any additional charges beyond the standard processing fee already charged. If the price depends on the number of people booked in the accommodation and you wish to change the number of people, the price will be recalculated based on the new group size as indicated in the itinerary. An increase in the price per person due to a partial cancellation (e.g. under-occupancy of a hotel room, change from a twin room to a single room, difference in the price of a flight ticket) is not considered to be a cancellation fee.
c) IF YOU CANCEL YOUR RESERVATION
Cancellation is valid from the date it is received in writing in our offices. All types of travel insurance are intended to cover “cancellations” and for this reason we require that such travel insurance be purchased prior to travel. The insurance is intended to reimburse the customer who must cancel their trip for the costs incurred. Of course, as with any other insurance, certain terms and conditions apply. If the customer has not taken out insurance, KERCEM A TOURS can only refund the balance that we have not yet paid or are obligated to pay to our service providers.
d) YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
You are responsible for ensuring that you and the persons for whom you are booking are in possession of a valid passport and appropriate visa. Check with your travel agent well in advance for passport and visa requirements, especially if you do not hold a Maltese passport. You are responsible for any fees, fines, etc. levied by authorities in Malta or abroad for non-compliance with regulations in this area and these amounts will be charged to you. It is also your responsibility to check with your doctor which vaccinations are advisable for your chosen destination. Under airline and maritime regulations, women who are at least 28 weeks pregnant at the time of return must provide a medical certificate stating that they are fit to travel. You must be responsible for appropriate behaviour by yourself and by the persons for whom you have booked. We reserve the right to refuse or retain any person as a customer if, in our opinion or in the opinion of the airline pilot, ship captain, hotelier, or lodging owner or manager or other responsible person, his or her conduct is likely to alarm, endanger, harm or harass other customers, employees and other persons or property. You acknowledge that we are not obligated to provide any refund or compensation to, or incur any expense from, any person whose conduct is so unacceptable. It is your responsibility to obtain travel insurance. We offer assistance in recommending travel insurance by introducing you to our preferred insurance broker. While you are not obligated to purchase insurance from this provider, it is essential that you obtain appropriate travel insurance to ensure coverage in the event you need to make a claim.
e) IF YOU HAVE A COMPLAINT
We do our best to make sure you have a pleasant, trouble-free holiday, but occasionally even the best laid plans can go awry. If you have a grievance or complaint related to the overseas portion of your holiday, you must report it in writing to our tour manager, representative or agent at your resort as soon as possible so that the matter can be investigated and we have the opportunity to resolve the matter locally. Anyone booking a holiday with KERCEM A TOURS has read the terms and conditions and accepts them without reservation.