The Ethical Code guides the professional conduct of every AGAC-associated cycling tour guide and companion in their relationships with clients, colleagues, and the community in general.
Every AGAC Associate accepts the Ethical Code, endorsed at the time of application, committing to respect and consistently apply it.
The Ethical Code is a set of principles that determine the guidelines for the professional conduct of every cycling tour guide and companion affiliated with AGAC, namely:
1. Serve clients with integrity, competence, and objectivity, always treating them with respect, courtesy, honesty, and care.
2. Provide services with awareness of one’s own competencies.
3. Organize a service within one’s available competencies, seeking support from prepared colleagues in case of deficiencies or inadequacies. Otherwise, commit to honestly and transparently recommending other services or colleagues with the necessary qualifications and professionalism to meet the client’s requests.
4. Always verify the compatibility between proposed itineraries/services and clients’ actual skills/abilities, aiming to form homogeneous groups and maximize the service provided while safeguarding the professional image through customer satisfaction.
5. Thoroughly check the proposed itineraries for clients and their practicability, ensuring a realistic prediction of the conditions on the day of execution (pre-visit).
6. Commit to promoting services honestly, representing the profession of Cycling Tour Guide and Companion accurately, precisely, and responsibly.
7. Strive for excellence in all aspects of the profession.
8. Distinguish the performance of one’s activity, in every relationship with the client, especially in writing, with explicit reference to legal regulations, both regional and regulatory, as well as references to one’s enabling title and in compliance with Law 4/2013 and any other current national regulations.
9. Be aware of the responsibilities resulting from non-compliance with unfair commercial practices as per Title III of Part II of the Consumer Code, and thus commit to always aligning behavior and commercial offers with said rules and the law in general.
10. Keep all information provided by the client, whether personal or professional, confidential, in full respect of the Privacy Law.
11. Commit to using client information, data, and/or images only with their permission and in a proper and law-abiding manner (e.g., copyright; Privacy Law, etc.).
12. Independently and unconditionally determine one’s rates and expenses in line with one’s competencies and qualifications.
13. Request reasonable, legitimate payments from the client, commensurate with one’s experience, provided services, and responsibilities assumed with the accompaniment, as long as they are communicated and agreed upon in advance and aligned with industry conditions.
14. Recommend products and services to clients that align as closely as possible with their actual needs and, above all, their objective technical and physical capabilities.
15. Maintain a fair, honorable, and cooperative commitment with other Association members, suppliers, and potential employees, always ensuring maximum respect, loyalty, and courtesy towards them.
16. Commit to respecting intellectual property (materials, titles, and products) pertaining to colleagues and not use information and methodologies owned by others without specific consent.
17. Strive to maintain a high standard of personal conduct to enhance the profession’s credibility.
18. Always protect clients, to the best of one’s ability, from fraud and improper behaviors, reporting to the competent bodies of the Association any practices that could discredit the profession.
19. Commit to acquiring and enhancing one’s knowledge and skills, even if not directly necessary for the profession but guaranteeing a higher level of quality.
20. Commit to actively participating in update courses and/or training to always be competent and relevant in addressing client needs.
21. Commit not to disclose any type of information, document, and/or material obtained during or after association with AGAC.
The body responsible for monitoring the application of the code of conduct for AGAC ‘ethical code’ is composed of:
– AGAC President
– AGAC Vice President
– President of the Technical Scientific Committee
– President of the Territorial Committee
– Secretary
Revision 1.0 dated 29/08/2022