ASSOCIATION COVID-19 PROTOCOLS
Our Safe Travel Pledge
Before we operate tours, all of our employees, partners and our guests will take our Safe Travel Pledge. Our Association and our partners will follow enhanced protocols with diligence and rigor; review them frequently as the COVID-19 landscape changes and always make common-sense decisions grounded in purpose and science. We embrace these new and necessary measures to combat COVID-19 and will do our very best to provide you with Safe Travel.
Our New Health and Safety Protocols
Consistent with our commitment to the well-being of our guests, we are implementing enhanced health and safety protocols. These protocols may vary by geographic regions and will certainly evolve over time, as science and society respond to new realities:
Staff
Prior to interacting with guests, each member of our staff is trained in enhanced protocols and participates in a personal health screening.
Once on tour, our travel manager, support staff, and partners are responsible for maintaining these protocols with a special focus on cleanliness and physical distancing. They will relay critical information regarding requirements, advise when protocols are mandatory, such as wearing a face covering in group settings and on the motorcoach, and help facilitate guest care should they become ill on tour. All staff will adhere to the same requirements.
Guest Responsibility
When joining tour, every guest is responsible for their own health and, in turn, the protection of their fellow travelers, our staff, our partners and the places we visit. Guests will pledge to follow the direction of our staff and adhere to health and safety protocols.
Guests are expected to wear face coverings in all group settings, to wash their hands frequently and to adhere to partner and government regulations. While supplies of face coverings, gloves, and hand sanitizer will be available, guests are asked to bring such personal items for their own comfort.
Our local Partners are ready for you
The Association is proud to have worked closely with our partners around the South, many of them for years, to deliver the quality, comfort, and safety you expect. Whether it be museums, churches, hotels, restaurants, event venues or transportation companies, their meticulous health and safety protocols reflect their leadership and well-earned respect in our industry.
In addition to our partners, we have also been actively engaged with global travel organizations to standardize health and safety protocols throughout the travel industry and we and our partners adhere to these protocols. TourCare is one example.
TourCare are health and sanitation guidelines developed by the tour industry’s major global associations: the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA), The Canadian Association of Tour Operators (CATO) and the European Tourism Association (ETOA). We, and our supplier partners, meet and exceed these guidelines that require members to adhere to the highest standards in the industry. The guidelines can be downloaded here.