The Aberdeen region has been awarded a mark of excellence in customer service, securing WorldHost Recognised Destination status in an initiative led by VisitAberdeenshire to establish the North-east as a top visitor destination.
Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire is the largest region in Scotland to secure WorldHost Recognised Destination status, with over 110 local businesses so far completing the customer service training programmes. To achieve recognised destination status, a minimum of 25% of tourism businesses in the region must have at least half of their customer facing staff complete one of the WorldHost service training programmes. The confirmation of the North-east’s status comes at a time when travel publication Rough Guides announced their readers voted Scotland as the most welcoming destination in the world, and their favourite destination of 2017.
Chris Foy, chief executive of VisitAberdeenshire received a commemorative plaque from People 1st on behalf of the participating businesses at a celebratory event today (Friday 8 December) at Aberdeen’s Skene House. Mr Foy said, “It’s hugely encouraging to see so many local tourism businesses committed to improving the overall quality and consistency of service delivery. WorldHost status is something we should be proud of, and will help us to increase our international appeal by offering a warm authentic Scottish welcome to our visitors. I would strongly encourage local tourism businesses who have yet to complete the training to look into its benefits.”
Dr Andrew Martin, vice chair of Aberdeen City and Shire Hotel Association said, “Hotels throughout the North-east are often the first point of contact for visitors when they arrive in the area, which is why the Aberdeen City and Shire Hotel Association fully support this project. Our area has to compete as a premier tourism destination, and securing this status supports our drive to deliver quality and excellent value to our customers.”
David Allen, director of Scotland for People 1st, added, “Customer service is vital to the future success of Scottish tourism and it’s taken a huge concerted effort from businesses across the Aberdeen City and Shire region to achieve WorldHost Recognised Business status. Customer expectations are rising all the time, but this training means that Aberdeen will be well placed to meet that challenge, and I have no doubt it will have a positive impact on tourism. Congratulations to all the businesses involved!”
The World host training programmes, which originate from Canada, were first brought to the UK by People 1st to prepare local businesses in and around London for the influx of international visitors for the 2012 Olympic Games.
Picture caption: Chris Foy, chief executive of VisitAberdeenshire receives a commemorative plaque from Stefanie Roberts, business development manager of People 1st.
VisitAberdeenshire is the lead tourism agency for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. It promotes fantastic visitor experiences in North-east Scotland to targeted audiences from around the world. It works to develop the visitor economy through initiatives that help tourism businesses to understand, and meet demand from an ever-changing market to strengthen the region’s position as a world-class tourism destination.
WorldHost® is a registered trademark of go2 Tourism HR Society. Used under license. Performance and talent management expert, People 1st, is the authorised licensee of the trademark in the United