With the pandemic crisis of COVID-19 affecting millions of lives all over the world and this whole unprecedented global situation, we must all do our part, support each other, flatten the curve and think positive.
Aegean Outdoors response to COVID-19 is subject to change in accordance with the recommendations and requirements of the Greek government. Based on the directions and guidelines of the Greek Government, in the interest of your and our staff’s health, we have put into place the following health and sanitation protocols for all of our activities:
- We fully comply with the required health protocols put into place by the government and maintain contact details for tracing purposes.
Masks are required during group transfers but not during the actual activity. Travellers are encouraged to bring their own face coverings such as buffs, facemasks or bandanas, as well as personal hand sanitizer to ensure additional levels of protection. - Equipment used during activities will be subject to increased cleaning measures, while hand sanitizer will be provided wherever possible throughout trips.
- Rafting boats can be fully loaded and only for private groups (not mixed)
- During transfers, we comply with health protocols, i.e. windows are kept open, A/C not used, vehicles are internally disinfected. Increased hygiene protocols are included in vehicles and boats, with the introduction of daily cleaning and disinfecting, compulsory hand sanitizer use before every embarkation, assigned seats for travellers, and facial coverings being recommended while on board or in vehicles.
- Changing rooms can be used at the same time only by couples/family or group of friends.
- Meals, depending on the specific activity and circumstances, are either individualized or served by a guide in front of the participants in buffet style. All hygiene protocols are strictly followed during preparation.
- Our staff is trained and complies with the required health protocols (e.g. contact, physical distance, etc.) and their temperature is monitored and recorded daily.
- Alcohol-based hand sanitizer is available on transfer vehicles and during meals.
- In case our staff notices that a participant is looking unwell (sneezing, coughing, looking sick), we reserve the right to take their temperature and ask them not to participate in the activity.
In addition, the leading tour operator associations in the US, Canada, and Europe have collaborated on a set of health and sanitization guidelines specifically for their tour operator members called TOURCARE Guidelines for Tour Operators.
Developed by the Canadian Association of Tour Operators (CATO), the European Tourism Association (ETOA), and the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA), the guidelines establish recommended procedures for tour operators to provide protection for travelers against the transmission of COVID-19. The full set of TOURCARE Guidelines for Tour Operators can be found at https://ustoa.com/covid19/
The TOURCARE Guidelines provide direction for tour operators across all touch-points of a trip – staff, suppliers, and passengers – to ensure that health and sanitization protections are in place for each stakeholder and the communities visited. Sanitization procedures recommended are those issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC), and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), as well as local governmental health authorities.
The guidelines include measures for training and sanitization for staff in contact with passengers while traveling, such as outfitting each with appropriate personal protection equipment and promoting physical distancing.
