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Home / Members / Quality

Quality in Tourism

Introduction to Quality
Quality and Branding
Quality and Accommodation
Quality and Attractions
Quality and Language Schools
Quality and Bars, Pubs and Clubs
Quality and Food
Quality and VisitBrighton

Introduction to Quality
Quality is at the heart of everything we do, whether it is in the delivery of our own work or influencing the quality of the experience that our businesses provide for the city's visitors. A good quality experience  is essential if Brighton is to retain its enviable number of repeat visitors. VisitBrighton is committed to quality initiatives. For example, we will only promote accommodation that has a quality rating, so that we can guarantee minimum standards to the people we are attracting here for a visit.

Quality is also high on the national tourism agenda. The whole spectrum of quality issues are being assessed and reworked by agencies such as VisitBritain, Quality in Tourism, the British Hospitality Association and many others, to provide an assurance of quality across the complete tourism experience.  A new 'Quality in Tourism' strategy, headed up by VisitBritain, has been introduced that will cover all areas of tourism including accommodation, attractions, signage and 'the visitor experience'.  Click here to download the full strategy document.

As the strategy evolves and new assessments are put in place, we will include up-to-date information within this page to keep you informed of how these issues relating to Quality will effect you and your business.

Quality and Branding
You can download a document here  that explains how VisitBritain and Enjoy England 'brand' the British tourism product, what this 'branding' means to the visitor, and how important 'quality' is for the 'visitor experience'.

Quality in Accommodation
In 2006, VisitBritain, together with the AA, introduced an accommodation rating scheme that brings together common Britain-wide standards and that provides a seamless rating standard that is understandable to visitors, particularly those from overseas.  It will also make it easier for tourism bodies and the travel industry to promote accommodation at home and overseas.

Quality and Attractions
VisitBritain also offers a quality scheme for attractions.  This is an assessment, rather than a grading scheme, and can help to identify the strengths of an attraction and highlight development areas.  

Quality and Language Schools
VisitBrighton is committed to only working with language schools who have signed a Code of Practice.  The Code of Practice commits the schools to ensure quality standards in terms of:

• education
• school liability
• student welfare
• and standard of host family accommodation. 

Many of these schools are members of the English in Britain Accreditation Scheme and are members of English UK, the national association of accredited English language centres. Accreditation provides students with a guarantee of quality and provides English Language Schools with a range of promotional and developmental benefits.

 

Quality and Bars, Pubs and Clubs
In 2006 VisitBrighton started supporting a new initiative in the city called Best Bar None - an award scheme to establish a standard of excellence amongst the bars, pubs and clubs in Brighton & Hove.  It is designed to highlight and reward good working practice in the night time industry, and will help to promote the city as a safe and professional environment in which to live, work, visit and socialise.

 

All participating businesses received an inspection visit, and all those reaching a set standard were presented to a panel of judges.  Those who reached the required standard received an "Accreditation". An award ceremony took place in October 2007 and we are delighted to announct the following winners in each category:

• Best Pub - World's End
• Best Bar - Walkabout Inn
• Best NightClub - Audio
• Best LGBT Venue - The Marlborough

Congratulations to the Walkabout Inn, who were  'crowned' the overall Best Bar None in the city.

 

Quality and Food 
VisitBrighton also supports the Brighton & Hove 'Scores on the Doors' scheme, which publishes food hygiene standards achieved by eateries across the city.

 

The scheme allows visitors eating out in Brighton & Hove to check out standards at local restaurants and food businesses at a glance.  The scheme means all restaurants, hotels, cafes, and other catering outlets in the city, will be required to display a food hygiene rating.

 

Brighton & Hove City Council is one of a number of councils in the South East  introducing ‘Scores on the Doors', which has been set up by the Food Standards Agency.

 

Councillor Geoffrey Theobald, chairman of the city council’s environment committee, said: 'Scores on the Doors is all about helping people to make informed choices about where to eat – particularly important in Brighton & Hove as we have so many visitors. The scheme celebrates the huge variety of good food available in the city, raises awareness of food hygiene and helps to raise standards where necessary.'

 

Quality and VisitBrighton
VisitBrighton is so committed to Quality that we constantly test our own services.  The Visitor Information Service signs up to a national mystery shopping excercise, that tests the quality of our service via the telephone, via email and in person at the Visitor Information counter. Brighton and Hove City Council also undertakes regular mystery shopping excercises for all frontline services.

 

We ask for your views as well, via an annual Stakeholder Feedback Questionnaire. This feedback gives us the chance to see what we are doing well, and where we can make changes to improve the service we deliver to our customers, whether they are visitors or local businesses.

 

But you don't have to wait until the next questionnaire to let us know how we are doing …. You can contact Richard Pearson, our Partnership Executive, at any time, with any questions or ideas you might have:  richard.pearson@brighton-hove.gov.uk.