General Conditions of Contract and Travel (GCCT)
Booking conditions
1. The GCCT
The GCCT applies to bookings made through all the channels managed by Ecologico Tours GmbH, to the extent that these bookings concern “all-inclusive” travel pursuant to art. 1 of the “all-inclusive” travel law Federal Law of 18 June 1993 on package travel (LF 944.3).
2. Definitions organizer, seller, consumer
By travel organizer we mean the person who organizes all-inclusive trips, making the combination of the elements referred to in Article 1 of the Federal Law of June 18, 1993, on all-inclusive travel.
By seller, we mean the person who offers all-inclusive trips offered by the organizer.
By consumer we mean a) any person who books or agrees to book the all-inclusive trip; b) any person in the name of or in favor of whom an “all-inclusive” trip is booked or a booking commitment is assumed c) any person to whom the “all-inclusive” trip is assigned in accordance with Article 17 of the Federal Law of 18 June 1993.
In cases where the customer books single services of the trip (flight, hotel, rental car, etc.) and composes them by organizing the trip independently or the customer books an all-inclusive trip produced by organizers other than Ecologico Tours GMBH, the latter appears exclusively as a mediator of services performed by third parties and can never be considered, in any case, responsible for the correct implementation of the same services.
In the case of booking individual travel services, the articles relating to the General Terms and Conditions of Individual Services (CCCT) will apply.
3. Booking and Payment Terms and Conditions:
Please complete the booking form and return it signed to us by email. We will send you an email confirming your booking as soon as all providers (hotels, wineries, bike rental, etc.) have confirmed the booking to us. As confirmation from your side, we ask for a deposit of 20% – 30% of the tour cost. This depends on the tour you have booked. For example:
Bike and barge tours: deposit of 30% and balance of the tour price 90 days before the starting date.
The following trips: Cammino di Santiago, Francigena, and Way of Francis from Florence to Rome require a 30% deposit and a balance due 4 weeks before the start date.
Payment of the tour costs balance is written on the invoice: four weeks before the start of your holiday. A binding agreement will come into existence between us when we dispatch this invoice. Confirmation of the booking will normally be sent within 7 working days.
The date on which the final balance of your holiday is due is shown on the confirmation invoice. Please note no further reminders are sent. If the balance is not paid in time, we reserve the right to cancel your booking, retain your deposit, and apply cancellation charges as set out below. If you book a holiday within four weeks of departure full payment is required at the time of booking.
After full and final payment for your holiday has been received, you will be sent the accommodation details, pre-tour instructions, and other information relevant to the holiday in question. The other tour documents will be handed over by us, our local agents, or the hotel reception at your first overnight accommodation.
Payments can be made by bank wire transfer. To lower the fees, you can use www.wise.com or www.exe.com . Payments with credit cards can be made through PayPal. It has a supplement of 4% for administration costs and fees.
4. Groups:
When making a group booking, the booking form must be signed by the person first named on the booking form (the party leader), accepting these booking conditions on behalf of all your party. The confirmation invoice and tour pack for the group will be sent to the party leader. Any questions concerning the holiday from members of the group should be sent to us by the party leader only.
5. Cancellation of your booking:
Should you or any member of your party be forced to cancel the booking, you must communicate it to us in writing and the person who signed the booking form must sign this email. The cancellation will take effect from the date that such written notice is received in our office by email: info@ecologicotours.com or info@meravigliosaumbria.com. After receiving the cancellation e-mail, we will send a confirmation. If you do not receive this confirmation, it means we didn’t receive your cancellation e-mail.
Calculate days of cancellation:
It is carried out by counting all working days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays). The day of cancellation is excluded, and the day of departure is included.
The cancellation policy varies per tour. In our tour programs is written the cancellation policy of each tour or please contact us for policy specific to your tour.
For a cancellation of the tours in Umbria will be refunded:
- Up to 30 days before the starting date: € 50,00 administration costs
- 29-21 days before starting date: 30% of the total tour costs
- 20-14 days before starting date: 50% of the total tour costs
- 13-6 days before starting date: 75% of the total tour costs
- 5 days-start of tour: 100% of the total tour costs
Modifications of the booking: Any changes after the booking have been made will be subject to a fee of 30 – 50 Euros for administration costs. The decrease in the number of participants will be considered as a cancellation and will be refunded according to the above charges. The modifications requested by the clients may not always be possible and Meravigliosa Umbria / Ecologico Tours is not under obligation to carry out any modifications requested.
6. Changes or cancellations from our side:
Very occasionally, we have to make changes to a holiday after a booking has been confirmed or cancel confirmed bookings. Whilst we always endeavor to avoid changes and cancellations, we must reserve the right to do so. We feel responsible for giving you what we offer, but unfortunately, sometimes changes are inevitable. It can be possible that the hotel of your choice does not have any more availability (overbooking or else), restaurants can be closed, train timetables can change…
If we have to cancel your holiday or make a significant change before your departure, such as a change of accommodation to that of a lower official classification or standard for the whole or a major part of the time you are away, a change of accommodation area for the whole or a major part of the time you are away or a change to the date of departure) we will tell you as soon as possible and you will have the choice of:
(a) accepting the changed arrangements or
(b) taking an alternative holiday (and where this is of a lower price we will refund the difference, but where the price is higher we may ask you to pay the difference) or
(c) canceling or accepting the cancellation and receiving a full refund of all payments made.
Meravigliosa Umbria / Ecologico Tours will not, however, be liable to refund any incidental expenses you may have incurred as a result of your booking, such as flights, travel insurance, visas, additional travel arrangements, etc.
7. Force majeure:
We regret we cannot accept any liability or pay any compensation where the performance or prompt performance of our contractual obligations is prevented or affected by, or you otherwise suffer any damage or loss as a result of, force majeure. Force majeure means any event which we, or the supplier of the service(s) in question, could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid. Such events include war or threat of war, riots, civil strife, terrorist activities, industrial disputes, fire, natural or nuclear disasters, adverse weather conditions, and all similar events outside our control.
8. Prices:
Prices featured in our brochures or listed on our website may change at any time due to changes in exchange rates, increases in transport, accommodation, or other costs, or if government action forces us to do so. Once a confirmation invoice has been issued we will endeavor to abide by that price. Once the holiday has been paid in full we will absorb any subsequent price increases or surcharges.
9. Complaints:
We are committed to providing excellent care for our guests. However, any complaints regarding a guided tour should be made to the tour leader who will normally take the appropriate action. If at the end of the tour you feel that your complaint was not dealt with satisfactorily you must notify us of your complaint in writing within 15 days of the completion of the tour. On self-guided tours, any complaint regarding accommodation, food, etc. should be made at the time of your stay to the owners or manager of the establishment concerned and to us, Meravigliosa Umbria / Ecologico Tours. Subsequently, a letter outlining the complaint should be sent to us on your return. All complaints received are thoroughly investigated and guests are kept informed. We aim to settle all complaints amicably.
10. Liabilities:
Meravigliosa Umbria/ Ecologico Tours shall not be held liable for any damage caused by the total or partial failure to carry out the contract if such failure is
- attributable to the customer
- unforeseeable or unavoidable and attributable to a third party unconnected to the Company
- as a result of unusual unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control such as strikes, war, civil or political unrest or government action, or what is usually known as “force majeure”.
- a result of an event that we, with all due care, could not foresee or forestall
- due to the theft of bicycles
- due to the client choosing an inappropriate level of activity, or due to poorly maintained equipment. Our tours have different levels. Every participant should inform himself or herself before departure about what equipment will be necessary for the holiday booked and whether he or she is in the right physical condition for the level of the booked tour. We are not responsible for injury as a result of health conditions or lack of fitness, injuries incurred cycling or walking either on- or off-road and in particular injuries as a result of inadequately maintained and serviced personal equipment or failure to wear the correct safety equipment, most notably cycle helmets. Where the Company is found liable for damages in respect of its failure to carry out the contract, the amount is limited to the price of the tour.
- Before departure, consumers have to make sure that they are in possession of vaccination certificates, an individual passport, and any other document valid for all the countries covered by the itinerary, as well as of visas, transit, and health certificates that may be required.
11. Insurance:
ATTENTION We strongly recommend that you protect yourself, your equipment, and your luggage with a suitable holiday insurance policy. This insurance should also be arranged to cover non-returnable costs should you have to cancel your trip due to unexpected personal circumstances. Nowadays there are good online insurance.
12. Data Protection and Privacy
The protection of the privacy of the clients is for Ecologico Tours & Meravigliosa Umbria of great value. Ecologico Tours elaborates the personal data by the Swiss law on the processing of personal data. The customer can at any time exercise the rights ex-art. from 15 to 21 of the GDPR – that is to access, update, rectifier, cancellation, blocking of data, and portability by contacting Ecologico Tours Tour Operator at the email info@ecologicotours.it The full version of the Privacy Policy of Ecologico Tours GmbH can be consulted on our website www.ecologicotours.com
13. Website
Please be advised that we make every effort to ensure that all the information given on this site is accurate. All statements and information have been researched and supplied by third parties. The information given is accurate and reliable, to the best of our knowledge. Should errors be found, we will rectify them as quickly as possible. However, we accept no responsibility for errors or inaccuracies
The contract between the customer and organizer and / or seller, including the question of the implementation and validity of the contract, is subject exclusively to Swiss law. General Terms and Conditions for Single Services (GCCT)
The relevant international conventions and the following clauses of the General Terms and Conditions of Travel (GCCT) set forth above are applicable to these contracts: art. 5; Article 7; art. 9; art. 10.
14. Organization:
Ecologico Tours GmbH, Cantonal 41C / appartment 19, 6565 San Bernardino, Switzerland / Tel. +41 (0)79 2457505, E-mail info@ecologicotours.com
VAT number CHE-412.548.732: Insurance: Allianz Suisse Bellinzona; Chamber of Commerce: Handelsregister Graubünden CHE-412.548.732 Switzerland
Responsable website: Ecologico Tours GmbH, Cantonal 41C / appartment 19, 6565 San Bernardino, Switzerland
Manager website: Petra de Lind van Wijngaarden