VisitBritain launches Code of Practice for attractions
VisitBritain has launched an initiative designed to encourage England’s 6,000 visitor attractions to sign up to a new national Code of Practice.
From April 1 2008, only attractions committed to the Code of Practice or participants in the Visitor Attractions Quality Assurance Service (VAQAS) will be promoted by VisitBritain.
Registration to the code costs £25 and lasts until 2010.
Jeremy Brinkworth, VisitBritain’s general manager for quality, says: “Britain’s tourism industry must do all it can to keep its visitors returning year after year. We are facing increasing competition as rival destinations outstrip our tourism performance: although inbound tourism to the UK has seen average annual growth close to 7%, both India and Turkey are growing at double-digit rates.
“Raising the quality of attractions and accommodation is one step in addressing the challenges we face and ensuring not only that British visitors enjoy the highest quality experiences, but that we are ready to welcome the world in 2012.”
The 15 principles of the Code formalise attractions’ commitment to:
• providing accurate descriptions of operating hours, amenities, facilities and services, entry prices and any additional charges
• indicating any requirements for pre-booking and significant entry restrictions
• describing accessibility aspects
• sustaining high standards of maintenance, customer care, courtesy and cleanliness
• having regard to managing and operating the attraction in a sustainable way, considering public transport, locally sourcing food and other supplies, recycling, and minimising energy consumption and pollution
• providing facilities for visitor comments and complaints
The code is supported by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, the Historic Houses Association and Heritage Railways as well as the National Trust and English Heritage.
Participants will receive a copy of the Code which they can display at point of entry, access to a benchmarking and best practice guide, and regular newsletters.
Toolkits also help attractions develop access statements and assess their suitability for VAQAS status.
Brinkworth continues: “As our customers have ever-higher expectations from the attractions they visit, we must ensure that outstanding experiences become the norm. The new Code helps attractions declare their commitment to providing quality days out and, while many of its principles are timeless, others reflect more recent social changes.
“Registration for the Code of Practice and participation in VAQAS reassures the customer, giving them the official stamp of quality from the national tourism authority. Ultimately, if a visitor has concerns about an attraction in either scheme, they can bring the problem to us.”
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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