Provide a world-class welcome
Getting the quality of our welcome and service right is going to be really important to the long term success of the 2012 Games, especially as many visitors will be coming to the UK for the first time. Their experiences here need to be good enough to encourage them to return to the UK and recommend it to their friends.
Most tourism businesses, by their very nature, are good at making visitors feel welcome. But there is still room for improvement. In fact, although 84% of visitors to Britain say they felt at least very welcome during their time here, many of our major competitors do much better. Despite being one of the most visited destinations in the world, Britain does less well than some of its competitors when it comes to visitor satisfaction.
Here is a checklist of things to consider, some of which are specific to the 2012 Games:
Training & Skills Development
There are lots of training programmes now in place all over Britain to improve the welcome and customer service standards we provide to visitors, many of which are available at little or no cost. Click here to see the range of organisations and courses available.
Pricing
The UK Fair Pricing & Practice Charter provides a platform for UK businesses to declare their commitment to reasonable and fair trading terms in the year of 2012 and especially during the peak periods of demand. Providing reassurance to visitors, trade and media on pricing will be important in maintaining business as usual in 2012. It will also help to safegaurd against negative stories and allow the UK to maximise this unprecedented opportunity to generate positive messages about our destination. You are warmly invited to sign up today. For more information and to sign up visit the UK Fair Pricing & Practice Charter section of this website.
Quality Assurance
To get the official stamp of approval and make sure your business is listed on the main websites that will be seen by Games visitors you should consider getting your business quality assured under a recognised industry scheme. See details of exactly which schemes are available on the VisitBritain Corporate website.
Accessibility
The London 2012 Paralympic Games will shine the spotlight on the UK’s facilities for disabled visitors like never before. So you need to ensure your business is physically accessible and your staff are trained to deal with disabled visitors.
VisitEngland has launched the most comprehensive business case for accessible tourism in England. The booklet, entitled ‘At your service’ (click to download PDF), reveals a lucrative market worth over £2 billion. It also contains an easy to follow ‘Map through access’ showing how to get started, and how to make small adjustments to facilities, provide useful information on accessibility and understand the needs of disabled people.
If you need some more convincing about the merits of investing in accessible services and facilities, check out the case study of successful business, The Hytte.
Technology
Visitors’ expectations are rising all the time. Many people coming for the 2012 Games will only want to stay at or visit places with free WIFI access. Others will only want to book and pay online. There are lots of low cost ways of improving your technology and thus your overall services for customers. Find out more about how you can improve the technology you offer and use from our partner BT.
Welcome to Britain
If you are interested in finding out more or joining the wider task force that has been set up to improve the quality, skills and 'welcome' of tourism in Britain, visit the VisitBritain Corporate website. The Welcome to Britain campaign brings together partners from industry, local and national government, and tourism bodies across the UK.
