Accommodation providers throughout England are praising the professionalism and benefits of assessments…
Accommodation providers throughout England are praising the professionalism and benefits of assessments for VisitBritain`s National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) carried out by Unicorn Tourism Limited.
The survey of 1,500 NQAS participants is released today (24 June 2004) as VisitBritain publishes a new free guide detailing the benefits of joining the Standards and urges more businesses to participate, in order to raise the quality of experience offered to international and domestic visitors.
David Stanbridge, Head of Quality Standards for VisitBritain, said: The professionalism of assessments carried out by Unicorn Tourism Limited on behalf of VisitBritain is clearly recognised by owners and managers of England`s accommodation businesses. Tourism professionals all, our assessors are the most experienced in the industry and the clear market leaders in all accommodation sectors.
The assessment includes a full debrief after the visit and a comprehensive written report which provides invaluable and objective feedback. We expect that the launch of our new leaflet will further underscore the benefits that England`s accommodation providers and attractions can gain from membership of our National Quality Assurance Standards.
Owners and managers of caravan parks, serviced and self-catering establishments in England were questioned in the research, which revealed that:
- 35 per cent of assessed properties expect to improve their rating within three years
- one in six anticipate making improvements that will raise their quality rating within a year
- two-thirds of participants joined the VisitBritain Standards rather than other similar schemes because of its national profile and widely recognised signage
- over two-thirds of respondents felt that the assessor offered invaluable advice to help them to maintain and improve on the rating awarded to the property.
John Slater, Managing Director of Unicorn Tourism, said: The positive results of the survey are a welcome recognition of the vital role that Unicorn Tourism`s assessment teams play in advising England`s accommodation businesses on ways of maintaining and improving quality to the benefit of the industry and visitors alike.
Promoting their establishments through the Internet and e-marketing initiatives is also a priority for respondents in the survey. Over half want to develop websites and 45% are looking to invest in online booking. This autumn, NQAS participants in England will benefit from the availability of internet booking facilities following the launch of the second phase of EnglandNet.
The free leaflet published by VisitBritain highlights the different quality standards available in England and the benefits of participation including signage, access to market insights and marketing expertise, online and print advertising and eligibility to enter regional and national awards.
For a free copies of the new leaflet `Participation Benefits of VisitBritain National Quality Assurance Standards`, e-mail feedback@visitbritain.org or telephone 020 8563 3379.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
