General Terms and Conditions
Native Yew Conservation Council
(YewCon), China 2005
In these terms and conditions, the word "we" refers to the directors of Beijing Taxus Co.,Ltd. If you send us a deposit or the full amount for a tour, you are agreeing to be bound by all these General Terms and Conditions.
1. What the price includes: Airport pickup upon your arrival in Beijing and transfer to your hotel; all air and other transportation within China; all airport departure taxes on included flights; all accommodations (double occupancy); all meals (including one beverage), transfers and permits; entry fees for sightseeing attractions ; music and dance performances and other cultural events described in the itineraries; the services of Beijing Taxus Co.,Ltd. as your guide throughout the trip; and drop off service at the airport of departure from China.
2. What the price does not include: Roundtrip air travel between your home and China; airport departure taxes on such travel; the cost of your Chinese visa; sightseeing; personal insurance; personal items such as extra beverages at meals, food or snacks at times other than regular meal times, laundry, telephone, fax or Internet/E-mail access charges, film, fees for taking photographs or videos in certain locations, fees for changing money, individual transfers, medical expenses, excess baggage fees, customs duties, shopping and tips or gratuities.
3. Participation by minors: Persons under 18 may take this tour only if they are traveling with a parent or legal guardian. There can be no exceptions to this policy.
4. Scheduling: The two study tour s are scheduled as follows : The Core Study Tour is from Tuesday 10 th May 2005 to Monday, 23,May 2005, a total of 14 days. The Extended Study Tour is from Tuesday 10 May to Sunday, 29 May, a total of 20 days.
5. International Air Travel: We can assist you in arranging your air ticket to China . Please contact us for details.
6. Itineraries, Arrangements and Tour Guides: All are subject to change without notice, although we will try to give you notice as soon as possible. We reserve the right to rearrange the itinerary and to substitute or delete activities from the schedule if this becomes necessary due to local conditions, the convenience of the parties or the proper and safe conduct of the tour. If this happens, we will try to provide you with alternate arrangements of comparable quality.
7. Accommodations: All hotels in larger cities are first class. Rooms have an attached private bath and air conditioning, as well as a telephone capable of international direct dialing and a television (although usually only Chinese channels are available). In smaller towns or rural areas, simple guest houses may be used. Please see individual tour descriptions for details.
8. Room assignments/Single supplement: All hotel accomodations are based on double occupancy. If you tell us that you are willing to share a room on the trip when you sign up, we won't charge you a single supplement if we can't match you with a roommate. If you tell us when you sign up that you want to have your own room, there will be an extra charge of $600, which will guarantee you a single room throughout the trip. If you wish to request a particular person as your roommate, please indicate that on your application form or by e-mail or letter to Beijing Taxus Co., Att. Robinson Xie, Tour Director, and you will be given a room together. In the absence of such a request, room assignments will be same-gender and random.
9. Price: The price is based on the most current information on costs in China and on the rate of currency exchange. If there are significant changes in either of these things, we may have to increase the cost of the trip. We will always inform you of this, if it is necessary, as far in advance of the trip as possible. If we have to increase the cost of the trip 10% or more, we will let you cancel your trip without any penalty.
10. Extra Days: If your travel plans require you to spend extra days in China at the beginning or end of your trip, or if you would like to spend more time there, you may do so at an additional cost. Please contact Beijing Taxus Co., Att. Robinson Xie, Tour Director for more information. Alternatively, you may make your own arrangements for the extra days.
11. Reservations and Payments: Please send a deposit of $300.00 to reserve your space on the trip. Payment of the balance of the price is due at our address by 1 May 2005 latest. If payment in full is not received at this time, we reserve the right to regard your reservation as cancelled, and there will be no refund of payments already made.
12. Cancellation of the Tour By Us: We reserve the right to cancel the tour at any time up to the date final payment is due under the following conditions:
1. Fewer than 15 persons have signed up for the tour;
2. In our opinion, health and/or safety factors related to conditions in China would make the tour inadvisable.
If we cancel the trip for either of these reasons prior to the date final payment is due, all money paid by the participants will be refunded.
If cancellation occurs because of the number of participants, we will offer all those who have signed up the opportunity to have the same tour, but the price may have to be increased. We will notify you of any increase, and give you a reasonable period of time to make your decision. You may, but are under no obligation to, take the tour under these new terms.
After final payment has been made, we may cancel the tour only if, in our opinion, health and/or safety factors related to conditions in China would make the tour inadvisable. Since cancellation in this case involves factors which may arise suddenly and are entirely outside our control, including but not limited to natural disasters and civil unrest, we cannot guarantee a refund in this case. This is because payment will already have been made to our cooperating agencies in China in order to finalize the arrangements. Please see paragraph 15 regarding trip cancellation insurance.
13. Cancellation By You: All cancellations by participants must be in writing, and are not effective until received by us. If you cancel before 15 April 2005 , you will get a full refund. If you cancel between 15 April and 1 May, we will charge a cancellation penalty of 50% of the cost. If you cancel after 1 May, we cannot guarantee any refund because payment and arrangements for the trip will have been made final. Please see paragraph 15 regarding trip cancellation insurance.
14. No Refunds After Tour Begins: There will be no refund for any reason once the trip has begun, unless through our fault you do not receive the trip you paid for. There will be no refund for unused hotel rooms, meals, sightseeing or any other charges once the trip begins.
15. Insurance: We strongly recommend that you obtain a trip cancellation, accident and baggage insurance policy. You may obtain such coverage on your own, or you may contact us for details on obtaining coverage.
16. Travel Documents: Citizens and residents of the United States must have a valid passport that will not expire for at least six months after the end of the trip. If you are not a U.S. citizen, you must also have a valid "green card" to re-enter the country. Citizens and residents of other nations should consult immigration authorities in their home country regarding re-entry requirements. A visa is required to travel in China . You will need to obtain an individual visa from a Chinese consulate. Please contact us for details.
17. Baggage: You carry your baggage at your own risk throughout the tour. Excess and oversized baggage charges are your responsibility.
18. Medical Responsibility: It is your responsibility to determine whether the tour you choose is suited to your physical condition. You are responsible for the cost of any medicines or medical care you may require during the trip for any reason. Please make sure you have adequate personal medical insurance to meet any medical emergency which might arise. In some cases, if you need medical care during the tour, you may be required to pay for it at the time it is rendered and seek reimbursement from your insurer after you return home. Please check with your medical insurer for details. In the event of a medical emergency, we will make every effort to assist you in obtaining necessary care and, if necessary, assist you in making arrangements to transfer funds from home to pay for it. Also, please tell us if you suffer from any allergies or other physical conditions which might affect you during the tour. Finally, please check with your doctor to find out what innoculations may be recommended for the areas you will be visiting. It is your responsibility to obtain all necessary innoculations. We reserve the right to decline to accept any person as a member of the tour, or to decline to retain any person, if such person's physical condition, mental well-being or behavior interferes with the operation of the tour. There will be no refund in such cases.
19. Limitation of Liability: We are not liable for delays, inconveniences, accidents, injuries or expenses of any kind resulting entirely, or in part, from the negligence of others or from causes beyond our control. Participants assume all risks of personal injury and aggravation of any medical condition related in any way to the activities of the tour. Baggage and other personal property are the responsibility of the owner and we are not liable for any loss. Also, please see the paragraph on "Free Time" below.
20. Free Time: Certain periods during the tour are, or will be, designated as "free time". These periods are provided primarily to give you a chance to rest and relax. You are, however, free to use the time as you wish. We will be happy to give you some information about things to do or see, but we do not accept responsibility for any loss, accident or injury which occurs while you are not with the group.
For additional information, please contact us.
Beijing Taxus Co.,Ltd.
P.O. Box 5802
Hong Dou Shan, Da Dong Liu Miao Pu
Xiao Tang Shan, Chang Ping
Beijing , 102211
P.R. China
Tel: +86.10.6171.1864
Fax: +86.10.6171.1045
Email: taxus_Beijing@yahoo.com.cn
