Consumer Protection in the Cruise Tourism Service Industry

• Main Author: 田湘儀
• Other Authors: Fan, Tai-Chih
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2019
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/9kna22

碩士 === 致理科技大學 === 國際貿易系碩士班 === 108 === In recent years Taiwan's cruise tourism has been booming, but given the increasing number of passengers, consumer disputes have occurred more frequently. Existing consumer protection laws are not specifically for the cruise service, thus making the industry face limited protection for consumers and need better solutions. For sound and sustainable cruise tourism service development, this thesis manages to adopt literature analysis, historical research, case study, and semi-structured interview, to explore and discuss growth of the cruise industry. Due to Taiwan’s consumption patterns that are different from other markets in the world, cruise companies have developed a special charter cruise operation system, which allows tour operators to sign contracts with and unfair to consumers, and that forms a consumption relation so different from traditional tourism as to affect exercise of consumer rights. In cruise tourism disputes, itinerary change caused by force majeure is especially prone to disputes, and due to the cruising characteristic of enclosure, when cruise consumers incur accidental injury or loss, it is difficult for them to receive proper damages under the current civil law system, so this thesis also conducts in-depth study on pertinent civil court decisions. Research findings indicate that the charter agency practice blurs the power and duty among the three parties of cruise companies, travel agents, and consumers, failing to effectively protect consumer rights; meanwhile, insufficient service information disclosure is more likely to trigger disputes; moreover, the Information to Be and Not to Be Indicated in Standard Outbound Cruise Travel Contracts needs to be established and implemented by the government soon. This thesis further provides suggestions based on research findings and in accordance with the goal of enhancing cruise consumer protection, which include that the government should advance the tourism market mechanism, that tour operators should improve their sales service process management, and that consumers should strengthen their security awareness at sea, in order to eliminate cruise tourism disputes, upgrade cruise service quality, and promote sustainable development of the cruise industry.