I did not read the post on AR, so I do not know the background.

There are a few things involved that must be taken into account, as said I do not have all the facts and I will treat it as a hypothetical case.

If you rent a concession, like I do, it depends on the agreement you have with the land owner. Some land owners insist that you pay a deposit with them the moment you book the facility and it is usually a non refundable deposit. I do not enter in deals like that, because it puts me in a situation, where either myself or the client can loose money. I pay the land owner on arival for the renting of the camp.

What will I do:
If I was the land owner, I would pay back the deposit and will only deduct the cost of the transfer of the money.

The way I am working ie. paying the land owner on arival, I will refund the client less the cost of the money transfer.

If I had to pay a deposit with the land owner I will negotiate with him to try and get the money back for the client.

There are a couple of things that we must also keep in mind, I do not suggest that it happened in this case.

Most hunting trips are booked a year or more in advance, if a client cancel it is very difficult to find another client to fill that spot. When hunting is your only means of income, it will mean that you will not receive an income for that period.

The above is very true in the case of dangerous game hunts, where you must pay in advance for the camp and to secure your license if there is a quota on the game to be hunted. If I arrange a hunt for a client in Mozambique, I must pay upfront, because there is a huge waiting list to get a spot.

This is just some of the basics involved. I really feel for the client and I do not know the exact situation of the outfitter, he can also loose money. Maybe they should meet each other halfway.

This again proves the importace of trip cancelation insurance.