Quick answer: A Korea group booking with a DMC normally runs on three terms: a deposit when the group confirms, the balance by a set date before arrival, and a cancellation scale that rises as the date comes closer. The terms are not arbitrary. They follow the suppliers underneath — hotels, coaches, restaurants, rail and event tickets — each of which asks for its own deposit and charges its own cancellation, and the DMC's terms have to cover them. The exact figures and dates belong in each booking's contract. Explera DMC Korea sets them out at quotation, line by line, so there are no surprises when numbers change.
The three terms
- The deposit. Paid when the group confirms. It secures the hotel blocks, the coaches and anything with a limited supply, such as a popular restaurant or a performance.
- The balance. Due by a set date before arrival, after the final list, so that suppliers can be paid on their own terms.
- The cancellation scale. Charges that rise in steps as arrival approaches, reflecting what can no longer be released or resold.
Why the terms look the way they do
- Hotels. Group contracts carry their own deposit, release dates and attrition, and those dates drive the DMC's own.
- Tickets that cannot be returned. Some event tickets, performances and special openings are paid in full and non-refundable once issued.
- Coaches and guides. A coach or a guide held for a peak date turns away other work, so late cancellation is charged.
- Peak weeks. In the busiest weeks, suppliers ask for earlier payment and apply stricter cancellation, and the DMC's terms follow.
What to agree before you confirm
- Dates, not just percentages. Write down the calendar dates for each step, calculated from the arrival date.
- What counts as a reduction. Agree how a smaller group is handled — per person, per room, or as a cancellation of part of the booking.
- Non-refundable items. List them separately, with the date after which they are committed.
- Currency and bank charges. Agree the invoice currency and who carries transfer charges, so the amount received matches the amount invoiced.
Where agents get caught
The most common problem is a mismatch: the agent's terms with the client are more generous than the DMC's terms with the agent, so a late cancellation costs the agent money. The fix is to set the client terms after seeing the DMC's, not before.
The second is the forgotten non-refundable item — a performance or a special entry that was paid for in full and cannot be returned. Listing those items at quotation, with their commitment dates, prevents the dispute.
Set out at quotation
Explera DMC Korea shows the payment and cancellation terms at quotation, with the supplier terms behind them, and updates them in writing when numbers or dates change.
Send your dates, pax and programme to b2b@explera.kr or WhatsApp +66 93 656 8090. Explera DMC Korea is IATA TIDS-registered (96215733) and an ASTA member (#900408341); our KTO and KATA registrations are in application.
Where this fits in our Korea programmes
The pages below carry the operational detail behind this briefing.
- Services: Group travel & GIT in Korea · Tours & activities in Korea · Transportation & coaches in Korea
- Destinations: Seoul · Busan · Jeju
