Code of Ethics

GANYC Members Code of Ethics

1. A GANYC member will have a valid New York City Guide’s License as issued by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs.It is illegal to work as a tour guide in New York City without a license.

2. A GANYC member will deal with clients in a professional manner in the execution of his or her duties as a tour guide, escort,hospitality staff or any other tourism-related service for which the member is legally contracted.

3. A GANYC member will arrive at the tour’s starting point at the agreed-upon time. If the guide is late,the guide will do his or her best to compensate the group for the delay. If the group arrives late,the GANYC member is not obligated to extend the tour.

4. A GANYC member will be well groomed and attired in a neat and clean manner and will abide byany specific attire requirements agreed upon at the time of being hired.

5. A GANYC member will have a wide range of knowledge of New York City,
including such areas as history, architecture, local customs, mass-transit usage and tour routes.

6. A GANYC member will be knowledgeable about the sites he or she has been contracted to visit, and of the rules and regulations governing the use of those sites. The member will adhere to, and advise the group, of such rules.

7. A GANYC member will do his or her best to fulfill the group’s itinerary and will advise the group leader or responsible party when major adjustments are needed due to circumstances beyond the member’s control, such as, but not limited to: weather, traffic, parades, street closures, long line sat attractions and/or group tardiness.

8. While tour guides, like others in the service industry, are accustomed to receiving a gratuity, a GANYC member will not solicit gratuities from the tour group. The only exception is when the member is working for a company that has a specific policy permitting such solicitations(such as those companies offering double decker or other daily tours) and then, the member will adhere to that company’s policy.

In all other situations, it is the duty of the tour operator to educate the group regarding the gratuity.

9.A GANYC member will respect the confidentiality of the clients they work with. A member will not solicit or accept a job from a client of the company that has hired him or her. Members will not distribute business cards without the knowledge of the company that has hired them.

10.A GANYC member will be of the language proficiency they have stated for the job they have been hired to do. Any proficiency less than ‘fluent’ should be noted in writing by the GANYC member at the time of hiring.

11. In the event of a complaint being filed against a GANYC member, the member agrees to abide by the majority decision of the GANYC Board of Directors as to the action needed to address the complaint.

12. In the event that a GANYC member performs any tourism related service outside New York City, he or she will abide by all codes, rules, and regulations of said location, and will continue to follow all elements of this Code of Ethics as they may apply.