Event or tourism-related contracts

General FAQs

a. What is an event contract?

An “event contract” is a contract for the provision of a venue, accommodation, amenities, transport, entertainment, catering or other goods and services for an event, such as a business meeting, conference, wedding, etc.
- E.g. contract with hotel for a wedding banquet, contract for photography services or make-up services for a wedding, contract for tickets to a concert or show or sporting event.
The event contract must be governed by Singapore law.

b. What is a tourism-related contract?

A “tourism-related contract” is a contract –
- For sea and land travel (e.g. cruises);
- For the provision of transport, short-term accommodation, entertainment, dining, catering, tours or other tourism-related goods or services for visitors to Singapore, domestic or outbound tourists; or
- For the promotion of tourism in Singapore or the distribution of products related to tourism for the purposes of trade or retail
A tourism-related contract does not include a contract for air travel such as airline tickets.
The tourism-related contract must be governed by Singapore law.

c. Does the Act apply to my event or tourism-related contract?

The Act applies to event or tourism-related contracts if:
- The contract was entered into before 25 March 2020;
- The contractual obligation is to be performed on or after 1 February 2020 (e.g. the wedding banquet was to be provided on 14 April 2020);
- The contractual obligation could not be performed due to COVID-19 (e.g. wedding could not be held on 14 April 2020 because of the “circuit-breaker” measures).
You will need to serve a Notification for Relief on the other party to the contract to enjoy the reliefs under the Act. Please refer to (e) below

d. What reliefs under the Act are applicable to me?

If you are unable to carry out your contractual obligation due to COVID-19, the other party to the contract cannot take or continue legal action against you in respect of that obligation during the prescribed period (i.e. up to 19 October 2020).
Further, if the Act applies to your contract, the deposit you have placed with the vendor for that contract cannot be automatically forfeited. If a deposit has purportedly been forfeited, it must be restored.
- This does not mean that you are automatically entitled to cancel the contract, nor does it mean that deposits will be automatically refunded to you.
- Instead, we encourage you to discuss with the vendor and work out an arrangement which is mutually acceptable. For example, you may agree to hold your event after the COVID-19 pandemic, in which case the vendor has no reason to forfeit the deposit. In this case, the deposit will remain with the vendor.
- If you and your vendor cannot reach a resolution, either of you may make an application to the Assessor, who will seek to achieve an outcome that is just and equitable in the circumstances. Please click here for further information on the application process and the relevant forms.

e. What must I do to enjoy the reliefs?

The reliefs under the Act do not take effect automatically.
If you qualify for the relief, you need to first serve a Notification for Relief on the other party to the contract, using the form at this link (SingPass) or this link (CorpPass).
Once the Notification for Relief has been served on the other party to the contract, the reliefs in (d) above will apply.

Specific FAQs

I am a consumer in an event/tourism-related contract…

f. What happens if my vendor has already forfeited my deposit before I served a Notification for Relief?

Once a Notification for Relief has been served, the vendor has to restore your deposit, even if it has been previously forfeited.
Restoration does not mean that the deposit is paid back to you. It means that the deposit continues to be held by the vendor, pending a mutual agreement on how the deposit is to be dealt with, or a determination by an Assessor if a mutual agreement is not possible.
This applies to contracts entered into before 25 March 2020, for obligations on or after 1 February 2020. For example, the Act would apply to a contract which you entered into in June 2019 to book a wedding banquet to be held on 20 February 2020.

g. My deposit was forfeited before the Act came into force on 20 April 2020. Do I have any recourse under the Act?

If the contract was entered into before 25 March 2020, and the event or tour was supposed to be carried out on or after 1 February 2020, but could not be carried out because of COVID-19, your deposit can still be restored.
You must first serve a Notification for Relief on the vendor. Upon the receipt of the Notification for Relief, the vendor must restore the forfeited deposit as soon as practicable.
Restoration does not mean that the deposit is paid back to you. It means that the deposit continues to be held by the vendor, pending a mutual agreement on how the deposit is to be dealt with, or a determination by an Assessor if a mutual agreement is not possible.
However, if you had already cancelled the event or tour, and agreed with the vendor that the deposit (or a part of it) is to be forfeited, your deposit will not be restored.

h. I do not wish to postpone my event or tour, but wish to cancel it. Can I recover my deposit? Is the vendor entitled to charge the cancellation fees as provided under the contract?

With respect to the deposit, we encourage you to discuss with your vendor and work out an arrangement which is mutually acceptable. This may include a partial refund of the deposit. If you and your vendor are unable to agree, either of you may make an application to the Assessor, who will seek to achieve an outcome that is just and equitable in the circumstances. Please click on here for further information on the application process and the relevant forms.
With respect to the cancellation fees, under the Act, you may not have to pay the cancellation fees if the event or tour was to occur between 1 February 2020 and 19 October 2020 (both dates inclusive). However, if you already paid the cancellation fees before the Act came into force on 20 April 2020, or before serving the Notification for Relief, the vendor is not obliged to return the paid cancellation fees. If your event or tour was to occur after 19 October 2020, your vendor can charge you the cancellation fees as provided in your contract (if any).

i. I prepaid for my event or tour. Does the Act apply to prepayments as well?

It is possible that the prepayment may be considered a deposit for the purposes of the Act. This depends on the terms of your contract. If the prepayment is considered a deposit for the purposes of the Act, the reliefs applicable to deposits will apply (see (d)).
If you and your vendor are unable to agree, either of you may make an application to the Assessor, who will seek to achieve an outcome that is just and equitable in the circumstances. This can potentially include a determination that the prepayment is considered a deposit for the purposes of the Act and should be restored, and how it should be dealt with. Please click here for further information on the application process and the relevant forms

j. Are air tickets covered under the Act?

Air tickets are not covered by the Act. Most airlines have their own refund or cancellation policy. You should check the airline’s refund or cancellation policies.

k. Does the Act cover bookings made on travel intermediaries (e.g. online platforms for hotel/tour bookings)?

Bookings on travel intermediaries (such as aggregate booking websites) will be covered under the Act if these bookings were made under Singapore law.
Whether the booking was made under Singapore law depends on the terms and conditions of your booking.

l. My vendor returned my deposit in the form of vouchers. Can I ask for cash instead?

The Act does not mandate how the deposit should be returned. We encourage you to discuss with your vendor and work out an arrangement which is mutually acceptable.
If you are unable to agree, either of you may make an application to the Assessor, who will seek to achieve an outcome that is just and equitable in the circumstances. It is possible that the Assessor may determine that giving vouchers rather than cash is a just and equitable outcome.

I am a vendor in an event/tourism-related contract…

m. I am a vendor and I have already provided some services pursuant to the event or tourism-related contract. Must I provide a full refund if I receive a Notification for Relief?

The Act does not mandate that vendors provide full refunds to the consumers. We encourage parties to discuss and work out an arrangement which is mutually acceptable.
If parties are unable to agree, either of you may make an application to the Assessor, who will seek to achieve an outcome that is just and equitable in the circumstances. It is possible that if you have provided services to the consumer (e.g. wedding photoshoot, deliveries) or incurred expenses for the purposes of the event (e.g. purchasing perishables), then an Assessor may determine that it is just and equitable for only part of the deposit be restored or refunded.