Quality Standards

VisitBritain's promote an assessed only policy and therefore require all accommodation providers to participate in one or more of the National Quality Assurance Schemes operated by VisitBritain (through Quality in Tourism) or the AA.

We are also keen supporters of the Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Scheme (VAQAS) and actively encourage our attractions to take part in this scheme.

The display of a recognised national rating offers reassurance, and provides confidence to customers that their chosen accommodation or venue will meet certain recognised standards.

For further information on quality assessment schemes, please contact Martin Webb on 01244 405600 m.webb@marketingcheshire.co.uk

Accommodation Quality Assessment for Accommodation Providers

Why choose to have your establishment assessed?

A quality assurance rating allows visitors to Cheshire & Warrington to make an informed choice where their accommodation is concerned. The display of a recognised national rating offers reassurance and provides confidence to customers that their chosen accommodation will meet certain recognised standards.

To demonstrate our commitment to quality, Marketing Cheshire only promote quality assessed accommodation. All the local authorities in Cheshire & Warrington also only promote graded accommodation, meaning if your establishment is not currently graded, you could be missing out on great marketing opportunities, from websites to Tourist information Centre referrals. All the national assessing bodies (The AA, VisitBritain, Visit Wales, VisitScotland and the AA) now assess accommodation to the same criteria and award one to five stars, with the number of stars reflecting the overall quality of the experience.

If you are interested in finding out more about assessment, please contact Martin Webb on 01244 405600 m.webb@marketingcheshire.co.uk

The AA offer assessment for hotels, guest houses, B&Bs and caravan/camping sites, while VisitBritain (through Quality in Tourism, the company contracted to assess accommodation on their behalf) also assess self catering accommodation in addition to hotels, B&Bs etc. To visit their websites, please click on the links below;
 
www.qualityintourism.com

www.theaa.com/travel_editorial/hotel_services_index.html

Attractions & VAQAS

Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Scheme (VAQAS)

VAQAS is a consumer focused quality assessment service for visitor attractions. It helps to identify strengths of an attraction and highlights development areas, based on industry examples.

A wide range of attractions of all sizes, both large and small, throughout England have benefited from participation in the service. Over 35 attractions in Cheshire & Warrington now participate, ranging from museums and historic houses to a theme park and garden centres.

Benefits of participation

• A Guide to Best Practice
• Self Assessment Toolkit
• In-depth Quality Assessment
• One to One debrief
• Full post visit report
• Accreditation – ‘Quality Assured Visitor Attraction’
• Promotion – Use of the VAQAS quality marque in tourism guides
• Enhanced promotion on VisitBritain websites

Marketing Cheshire actively encourage Cheshire & Warrington’s attractions to take advantage of the service and both the management and marketing benefits it offers.

For further information about VAQAS in Cheshire and our offer to members, please contact Martin Webb on 01244 405600 m.webb@marketingcheshire.co.uk

For further information on VAQAS fees and benefits, visit www.vaqas.org.uk

Conference Venues An Introduction to AIM

Marketing Cheshire’s commitment to quality is demonstrated by our support of the Meetings Industry Association AIM accreditation. We actively encourage all conference venues throughout Cheshire & Warrington to participate in the scheme, giving conference buyers a universally recognised indicator of quality for meetings space and services.

What is AIM all about?

AIM is relevant, not only to hotels, but to conference centres, all other styles of venue and very importantly, meetings industry suppliers.

The most noticeable aspect of the AIM scheme is its simplicity. The scheme is effective because it encourages continuous improvement across three levels, Entry, Silver and Gold. Achievement of each is dependent on attainment. Entry level is compulsory for all MIA members.

Having AIM as a requirement of MIA membership means that simply being an MIA member demonstrates to buyers that your services have passed a stringent quality assurance accreditation; it's an additional benefit to MIA membership

The Silver and Gold level of AIM are optional to MIA venue members. Achievement of these levels sends a positive signal to potential clients that superior service levels have been achieved.

For more information on AIM in Cheshire & Warrington, contact Martin Webb on 01244 405600 m.webb@marketingcheshire.co.uk