Regional Tourism Workshop

Hotel Bellevue, Ohrid, Macedonia, September 23, 2008

Sue Warren

SNV Montenegro

Quality Mark RCI

Tourism trends

People take more and shorter holidaysCustomer power rules! Spending power increases > leisure time:

People more demanding + time as important as value for moneyCustomers more fickle and less loyal

People better educated, want broader range of experiences; increasingly concerned about health and self-fulfilment

More demand for activities and sports-related breaksSpace, time to reflect, relax, ‘recharge batteries’

Tourism trends

Increase in independent travel Low-cost airlines – new, more routes to everywhere!

Internet rules - for short term promotion, information provision and bookings Social networking is the new order – C2C – impacts on everything – marketing, information, quality assuranceConstraints of environmental concern?

The challenges

Differentiating yourself from the restOffering value for moneyInvesting in & diversifying product - the power is in authentic offersQuality & creating added valueReinforcing human resource developmentContinuous development required to keep product matching traveler’s expectationsPlanning according to the principles of sustainable development

What is tourism success?

Competitiveness that is sustainable Empowering through training to improve skills Developing organisational competencies Improving the lives of local people Supporting pride of place/conserving the

environment / culture Creating new jobs, economic growth That means offering excellence…. Memorability, authenticity (spirit of the place) Quality – that can be recognised & promoted

What are the goals of a quality system?

To provide a system that enables travellers to select quality tourism options

To assist operators and the industry to understand and raise service quality

To assist operators and the industry to organise / collaborate for success

To achieve an independent classification and quality grading system which rates accommodation…and even visitor activities (eg restaurants, activities etc)

Customer’s point of view of a Quality Mark

clarity – can I understand what your endorsement is saying?

consistency – does it mean the same thing across businesses and over time?

compatibility – how does it relate to what happens where I come from? eg. Hotel and other types of

accommodation (small family accommodations, bed & breakfast, guesthouses)

Operator’s point of view of getting a Quality Mark

cost – how much is it going to cost each year? value – how will it provide a point of difference

over my competitors? vulnerability – what happens if I fail? credibility – is the assessment relevant,

comprehensible, fair and done by people I can trust? I’m special …. you need special criteria for

my type of operation!You also need an ‘industry expert’ assessing

me if they are to understand my business!

Industry organisation Assessors’point of view

funding – how will we pay for this Quality Mark – public funds and ‘user-pays’

sustainability– how do we manage our fixed and variable costs (assessments, marketing, the industry organisation)

relevance – keeping criteria aligned to industry trends this includes dovetailing with existing

industry quality standards g Star accreditation, Eco marks etc

Industry / Assessment body point of view … cont’d

frequency of reassessment – how often should we do follow-up assessments and where is the value?

keeping assessors motivated – training and retention issues

complaints and grievances – ensuring fair and efficient handling of complaints

intellectual property management – mis-use of signage of a quality mark, etc.

Assessing excellence and promoting quality standards are interlinked

Quality StandardsQuality

Standards ……… ……… ……… ……… ………

AssessingExcellenceAssessingExcellence ……… ……… ……… ……… ………

LINKAGELINKAGE

industry association

codes of ethics

legislation egStar

Accreditation

industry codes of

best practice

HCCP

generic quality standards ISO 9000

22000international

endorsements eg Green Globe 21

Quality standards can take many forms

quality standards are often proscriptive assessment tools need to be outcome focused

and non-prescriptive where possible (eg from the customer’s point of view)

focusing on outcomes key to being fair but flexible …. “the eyes of the customer”

ideally, quality standards should have good industry buy-in

Excellence and quality standards

Quality Solutions…we want….

a quality assessment and certification system that will offer and measure what is most important to high-value visitors

a system that can play a major part in improving business excellence

assessment criteria that can be developed to be:able to be applied to all tourism businesses,

whilebeing adaptable to specific industry sectors

Any system is only as good as the assessors using it!

Level of Satisfaction

Degree towhich

conditionfulfilled

a) “Must have” Quality

b) “More

is b

etter”

Qualit

y

c) “

Del

ight

er”

Qua

lity

Quality is of 3 distinctive types..& it is 3 dimensional, not just pass or fail of Star system

There are various Quality Marks

Initial planning- beginning with your peopleChoose the CategoriesLicensing & assessmentDevelop the ScorecardChoose the Grades, Categories & Special Awards Identify who will do the assessingDevelop all the protocols

Setting up your Quality Mark:the Systems & Processes

…for travellers who want original and real experiences …real local people…local activities…local food and wine, craft and culture…beautiful nature…not fake, impure or …not fake, impure or “mass“mass””

Bulgaria: two categories:Family & city hotelsGuest houses & Self cateringUnder 50 beds

Areas of Assessment

Facilities & Amenities

21%

Staff Dvpt.10%

Cultural23%

Environ Mgmt.

5%

BusinessSkills12%

Customer Service

21%SafetyMgmt.

8%

Choose the areas we want to improve / assess

The Scorecard The Assessment and assessment process The protocols Certificate of membership for the Quality Mark

Setting up the system

1 2 3 4 5

Area Topic Must haveMore is better

More is better

Delighter Delighter% of

Score1.0 Customer Service 21 42 63 84 105 211.1 Contact & booking 5 10 15 20 25 51.2 Greeting & support svcs. 6 12 18 24 30 61.3 Guest care & satisfaction 10 20 30 40 50 102.0 Facilities & Amenities 22 44 66 88 110 222.1 Facilities & setting 8 16 24 32 40 82.2 Equipment management 6 12 18 24 30 62.3 Design & atmosphere 8 16 24 32 40 83.0 Staff Mgmt. & Development 10 20 30 40 50 103.1 Recruitment & training 5 10 15 20 25 53.2 Communication & recognition 5 10 15 20 25 54.0 Environmental Management 5 10 15 20 25 55.0 Cultural Considerations 22 44 66 88 110 225.1 General 5 10 15 20 25 55.2 Activities 6 12 18 24 30 65.3 Food & beverage 7 14 21 28 35 75.4 Cultural sensitivity 4 8 12 16 20 46.0 Safety Management 8 16 24 32 40 86.1 Occupational welfare 4 8 12 16 20 46.2 Accident & injury mgmt. 4 8 12 16 20 47.0 Business skills 12 24 36 48 60 127.1 Leadership & marketing 4 8 12 16 20 47.2 Operational management 4 8 12 16 20 47.3 Financial & overall perform 4 8 12 16 20 4

Total 100 200 300 400 500 100

Create the ScorecardWith the industry

Facilities and staff portray some elements of a genuine Bulgarian experience

Host knowledge on relevant local activities & attractions

Limited local information available

‘Must have’Quality

Strategic and operational emphasis placed on ensuring visitors have an authentic Bulgarian experience

Good local information

Harmonious relations with local community

‘More is better’Quality

Hotel is recognised by guests and the travel industry as an ‘iconic’ Bulgarian experienceExcellent quality interpretation of the natural ,cultural and historical heritage of the local area offered to guestsActive participation in local community

‘Delighter’Quality

QUALITY SCORE0 1 2 3 4 5

Built-in continuous improvement

1 2 3 4 5

Area Topic Must haveMore is better

More is better

Delighter Delighter% of

Score1.0 Customer Service 21 42 63 84 105 211.1 Contact & booking 5 10 15 20 25 51.2 Greeting & support svcs. 6 12 18 24 30 61.3 Guest care & satisfaction 10 20 30 40 50 102.0 Facilities & Amenities 22 44 66 88 110 222.1 Facilities & setting 8 16 24 32 40 82.2 Equipment management 6 12 18 24 30 62.3 Design & atmosphere 8 16 24 32 40 83.0 Staff Mgmt. & Development 10 20 30 40 50 103.1 Recruitment & training 5 10 15 20 25 53.2 Communication & recognition 5 10 15 20 25 54.0 Environmental Management 5 10 15 20 25 55.0 Cultural Considerations 22 44 66 88 110 225.1 General 5 10 15 20 25 55.2 Activities 6 12 18 24 30 65.3 Food & beverage 7 14 21 28 35 75.4 Cultural sensitivity 4 8 12 16 20 46.0 Safety Management 8 16 24 32 40 86.1 Occupational welfare 4 8 12 16 20 46.2 Accident & injury mgmt. 4 8 12 16 20 47.0 Business skills 12 24 36 48 60 127.1 Leadership & marketing 4 8 12 16 20 47.2 Operational management 4 8 12 16 20 47.3 Financial & overall perform 4 8 12 16 20 4

Total 100 200 300 400 500 100

Scoring: to award a grade – within category and class

The Assessment and assessment process Choosing the Assessors Training Assessors Undertaking the assessments The Licensing Committee

Bespoke Assessment programme run by independent professional Assessors

Customer feedback opportunities are used to validate the grading / special awards

“Mystery visits” are where premises are visited by unannounced assessors to ensure the accommodation is performing to the standards of the awarded Quality Mark.

Feedback is collated to provide data to note trends and enhance the overall performance of the sector...note terms of use of information

NOTE: Customer reviews and advice sites for travellers

Customer Feedback & Monitoring, “Mystery visits”Internet

Two “KIT’S are required: one for accommodation providers and one for the Assessors (Scorecard, Certificates, License, etc)

Other promotional materials required: Flyer for general use, eg postcard Q and A Sheets for general use, Fact Sheet for media etcDesign and implementation Quality Mark logo, brand guidelines Scorecard, sticker for window, desk, car Website Print Directory Trade Fair installation design / stand alone booth Corporate materials – folders, stationary, banners etc

InformationMarketing & PromotionalMaterialsActivities (Sasha)

Setting up an Association

Once the Quality Mark programme is successfully introduced with RCI / in-country support, you will need to consider how the programme can continue for the long- term

Other programme elements

Thank you

Over to SashaA Case studyThe costs of implementationMeasuring Results

• The official quality mark is a critical part of tourism’s quality framework

• It incorporates the “official” fern used in the promotion of NZ tourism and exports overseas

• It has 1900 licensed businesses (account for 70% of all tourism economic activity)

• Covers accommodation but also visitor activities transport services (Endorsed Visitor Activity)

New Zealand’s Qualmark™

New Zealand QualmarkDelivering the brand promise

Guaranteed quality within category & grade

Rigorous assessment and licensing processRigorous assessment and licensing process

• The official quality mark is a critical part of tourism’s quality framework

• It incorporates the “official” fern used in the promotion of NZ tourism and exports overseas

• It has 1900 licensed businesses (account for 70% of all tourism economic activity)

• Covers accommodation but also visitor activities transport services (Endorsed Visitor Activity)

New Zealand’s Qualmark™

New Zealand:Enhanced sustainability criteria

Additional criteria for best practice in responsible tourism / sustainability (introduced 2008 – being piloted)

Largely based on Green Business Tourism SchemeHow operators can benefit from business practices that have

economic and environmental benefits (waste reduction, energy use, getting involved in communities eg sourcing locally produced food)