1. Parties
This Partner Agreement ("Agreement") is between Tek a Hike Limited ("Tek a Hike", "we") and the tour operator, hiking company, or licensed independent guide identified in the partner registration form ("Partner", "you").
By submitting a partner registration, listing a trail or event, or accepting a booking on the Platform, you agree to this Agreement, the Terms of Service, and the Data Sharing & Processing Annex.
2. Eligibility and verification
You confirm that:
- You are a registered business in Jamaica or a licensed independent guide.
- You hold a current Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) licence (where applicable).
- You hold valid public liability insurance for the activities you list.
- Your guides hold the certifications they advertise (for example, first aid, wilderness response, or specialty permits).
- You will keep these documents current and provide updated copies when requested.
We may verify your business registration, insurance, certifications, and references before activating your listings, and we may re-verify periodically.
3. Your responsibilities
You agree to:
- Publish accurate, up-to-date, non-misleading listings — distance, elevation, difficulty, what's included, what's not.
- Honour confirmed bookings unless cancellation is unavoidable for safety or force-majeure reasons.
- Use the Tek a Hike-provided digital waiver template, which includes the mandatory platform indemnification clause and the Environmental & Cultural Heritage Pledge.
- Conduct hikes safely, lawfully, and in line with industry best practice.
- Handle participant data only as a limited recipient and processor under the Data Sharing & Processing Annex — Tek a Hike Limited is the Data Controller for participant data collected through the Platform, and you must not export, copy, sync, or re-use that data for purposes outside the booked experience.
- Respond to participant questions and complaints in a timely, professional manner.
- Report any safety incident, near-miss, or breach within 24 hours via the partner dashboard.
4. Environmental & cultural responsibility
Tek pictures. Mek memories. Leave only footprints.
Operators are the boots on the ground for Jamaica's natural and cultural heritage. By listing on Tek a Hike you adopt our Environmental & Cultural Heritage Pledge as a binding part of this Agreement and accept the following operational duties:
- Brief every party on the Pledge before the hike starts. A short verbal briefing covering "no picking, no breaking, no taking, no littering" is the minimum standard.
- Carry-out kit. Provide each guided group with a small bag for trail litter, including any litter you find that wasn't yours. Operators carrying food must collect and pack out all wrappers, peels, and bottles.
- Stick to designated routes. Do not blaze new shortcuts, ride bikes/ATVs/animals on hiker-only trails, or take groups off-trail except for established viewpoints, sanitation stops, or genuine safety detours.
- Protect sensitive sites. Do not lead or permit climbing on, defacement of, or removal of material from Taíno middens, Maroon settlements, monuments, ruins, sacred sites, fragile karst formations, or coral.
- No fire, no flora, no fauna. No campfires or open flames except where expressly permitted by the landowner or NEPA. No collecting plants, fruit, or wildlife. No feeding wildlife. Use existing toilet facilities; otherwise follow recognised "leave no trace" sanitation practice (cathole at least 60 m from water, packed-out tissue).
- Permit compliance. Where the trail or activity requires a NEPA, Forestry Department, JCDT (Blue & John Crow Mountains National Park), Negril Marine Park, or community-management permit or fee, you are responsible for obtaining it and paying it before guiding the activity.
- Community respect. Operate with informed consent of the host community, pay agreed access fees, and source vendors fairly.
- Incident reporting. Report any environmental or heritage incident — wildfire, illegal dumping you witness, damage to a heritage site, wildlife distress — to the relevant authority and to Tek a Hike within 24 hours.
We treat repeated or material breach of this clause the same as a serious safety incident: we may suspend listings immediately, terminate this Agreement under section 10, refund affected participants, and report the matter to NEPA, the JCDT, the Jamaica National Heritage Trust, or other competent authorities.
5. Tek a Hike's role
Tek a Hike is a technology platform — we are not the tour operator, employer, or principal of any guide. We:
- Provide the platform, dashboard, listing tools, search, payments, waivers, and notifications.
- Verify partner credentials and may require improvements or remove non-compliant listings.
- Collect payments and remit your earnings, less platform fees and commission.
- Provide marketing exposure consistent with your tier.
6. Listings and content
You grant Tek a Hike a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to host, display, adapt, translate, and promote your listings, photos, and supporting content on the Platform and in marketing about the Platform. You retain ownership and may remove content at any time, subject to existing booking obligations.
7. Fees, commission, and payouts
- Platform fees and commission rates for your tier are shown in your partner dashboard. Default tiers are: free (0%), basic (5%), standard (6%), premium (8%), endorsed (10–15%).
- Payouts are made weekly in JMD or USD via Scotiabank or Stripe, after deducting fees, commission, refunds, and any chargebacks. Minimum payout thresholds and FX rules are shown in the dashboard.
- Refunds follow your stated cancellation policy. Where you fail to deliver a booked experience without a valid reason, Tek a Hike may refund participants and recover the amount from your next payout.
- Taxes are your responsibility. Tek a Hike issues earnings statements; it does not withhold income tax.
8. Free events quota
Each Partner has a default annual quota of 10 free events (configurable). Listings beyond the quota may incur a listing fee or commission as set out in the dashboard.
9. Insurance and indemnity
- You must maintain public liability insurance suitable for the activities you offer.
- You agree to indemnify and hold Tek a Hike Limited, its officers, employees, and agents harmless from any claims, losses, costs (including legal fees), and damages arising out of (a) your listings or activities, (b) your breach of this Agreement, (c) your breach of the Environmental & Cultural Heritage Pledge, or (d) your breach of applicable law.
10. Suspension and termination
We may suspend listings or terminate this Agreement immediately if you:
- Provide false or misleading verification documents.
- Cause a serious safety incident or breach the law.
- Materially breach the Environmental & Cultural Heritage Pledge.
- Repeatedly fail to honour bookings or respond to participants.
- Breach the Data Sharing & Processing Annex (in particular by exporting or re-using participant data outside the Platform).
You may terminate by giving 30 days' written notice. Existing confirmed bookings must be honoured or refunded.
11. Confidentiality
Each party will keep the other's non-public business information confidential and use it only to perform this Agreement. This obligation survives termination.
12. Independent contractor
Nothing in this Agreement creates an employment, agency, partnership, or joint-venture relationship between the parties.
13. Changes
We may update this Agreement from time to time. Material changes will be notified at least 30 days before they take effect.
14. Governing law
This Agreement is governed by the laws of Jamaica, with exclusive jurisdiction in the courts of Jamaica.
15. Contact
Tek a Hike Limited — Partnerships Kingston, Jamaica Email: hello@tekahike.com