Qualities a CATO member should uphold

Accuracy-- The information provided by a member regarding their service should be factual and accurate

Transparency— Any and all details regarding the service provided; including cost, restriction, terms and conditions, cancellation, service fee, duration of service, nature of any sales or service presentation the customer will be required to attend in connection with their travel arrangement, etc. shall be provided in writing, upon written request, before accepting payment

Responsiveness— Complaints and grievance shall be readily responded to

Promptness in refunding— Refunds due shall be cleared within the specified time limit. If delayed, proper explanation shall be given to the claimant

Cooperation— Members shall cooperate with the organization especially in settling disputes involving clients

Confidentiality— Client transactions should be handled with utmost confidentiality and shall not be disclosed unless with the client’s permission or insisted by law

Compliance— Members shall under no circumstances defy central, state and local laws. Pleas of nolo contend ere, consent judgements, judicial or administrative decrees, or orders, and assurances of voluntary compliance and similar agreements with central or state authorities shall be deemed convictions for purposes of those provisions

Relationship Amongst Members

No member shall obtain information via proposals or plans from a fellow member with the intent of misusing it for one’s own advantage or using it in such a way that it affects the business of the fellow member or the company from which it was obtained

Complimentary services like a visit to a destination should be utilized only for the purpose of inspection with the interest of doing business with that supplier, at that destination

Confidential information or intellectual property from one’s competition(s)/current or former employee(s) shall not be used without giving them proper courtesy

Confidential information or intellectual property shall not be passed on to the competitors of one’s supplier

No member shall purposefully make demeaning or misleading remarks orimpressions about competitions/fellow members or their services

Clients shall be thoroughly and genuinely informed about the requested service and the service provider’s ability to deliver it

Sensitive information about any business agreement should be kept confidential

Signed contracts as well as written or verbal commitments shall be honoured in both letter and spirit

Employment

• »  Applicants shall be screened to ascertain that they haven’t misstated qualification, experience and expertise in any way, including obtaining unjustified references

• »  A letter of intend shall be issued and the clearance certificate/ leaving certificate shall be sought at the time of joining of an employee

• »  An appropriate clearance shall be given to an employee who serves their notice period promptly

• »  A new employee shall be given adequate time to complete the procedure of handover and serve their notice period promptly

• »  A new employee shall not be demanded confidential information regarding their pervious employer or organization

• »  No employee, who intends to leave an organization to work for another or establish their own business, shall take advantage of his position in the current organization to pitch its clients or terminate a closed deal. Also, an employee should not exploit the intellectual property that belongs to their current employer for their personal benefit

• »  Misconducts, malpractices or misleading remarks from an employees part shall be reported to the CATO executive committee to keep all the members alerted and cautioned

Pledge of Professional Conduct

• »  I will strive to raise the bar of quality in my profession and contribute to the success of my organization
• »  I will promote integrity and trust in dealing with all tourism stakeholders and hence adhere to the ethical values of the organization
• »  I will maintain the credibility of my organization and my profession with reliable, consistent services and accepting the responsibility for my decisions and actions
• »  I will practice objectivity in decision making and make my actions fair and firm
• »  I will make sure that all those I’m responsible for grow and achieve as much as I do
• »  I will strive to be a role model in my profession and will be keen to ensure best practices in tourism
• »  I will be selfless in exercising my powers, always respect others’ privacy and ensure that no conflict of interest occurs in a deal