Press releases

Welcome to Excellence training programmes gets thumbs up!

The ‘Welcome to Excellence’ national customer service training packages, as delivered by the regional tourism organisations, have been scored highly in a report just published. In a survey of businesses taking part in the training a significant number acknowledged the courses set the industry standard, while high satisfaction ratings saw an impressive 90% happy with the courses and almost half rating them ‘better than expected’.

For example, in the North West region 47% of those asked gave the ‘Welcome to Excellence’ training programmes a ‘better than expected’ thumbs up. In the South East, almost three-quarters of respondents – mainly hotels, visitor attractions, B&Bs, educational establishments and Tourist Information Centres - either couldn’t think of any improvements to the courses or said nothing could be improved. Satisfaction indeed!

The report, entitled Welcome to Excellence in England Research, was compiled by TNS Travel & Tourism, the UK’s largest ad hoc research supplier. TNS have worked extensively with national Tourist Boards, regional tourism organisations, local authorities and bodies involved in outdoor recreation.

Developed over the last 10 years, the ‘Welcome to Excellence’ programmes are designed to improve the quality of service provided by tourism organisations, increasing their competitiveness and productivity. The full programme consists of seven one-day training courses: Welcome Host; Welcome Host Plus; Welcome All; Welcome E-business; Welcome International; Welcome Line; Welcome Management.

Says Sue Gill, Head of Skills & Training at Tourism South East*, “We are delighted with the results of the survey and the conclusions of the report. We’ve been delivering these courses across the spectrum, including small businesses with less than 15 employees, middle sized businesses and to a significant number of larger organisations. With our best known course, ‘Welcome Host’, it was wonderful to see that 93% of survey respondents nationally were aware of the course and a terrific 67% had actually participated in it over the last 3 years!

“As well as enhancing staff skills and allowing organisations to provide a high standard of customer service, courses have allowed staff to feel more valued and motivated, and therefore confident, and have given them valuable new qualifications and knowledge, for instance on how to help customers with disabilities. This report will ensure the ‘Welcome to Excellence’ training programme will go from strength to strength.”

The full report can be read at www.welcometoexcellence.co.uk
ENDS
For further information please contact Rachel Shimell/Miranda Johnson, RM Communications, on 023 80 732981/01962 890208, email rachel.shimell@ntlworld.com or mirandajohnson@btinternet.com or Sue Gill, Head of Skills & Training, Tourism South East on 02380 625400.

NOTE TO EDITORS:
*The Southern and South East England Tourist Board (trading as Tourism South East) administers the Welcome to Excellence courses as agent of Regional Tourist Board Partnerships Ltd. Regional Tourist Board Partnerships Ltd is a company jointly controlled by the English Regional Tourist Boards, the principal activity of which is the promotion of the Welcome to Excellence courses.

TNS Travel & Tourism: formerly known as System Three, TNS Travel and Tourism is one of the leading research agencies in the UK, in the provision of research and consultancy services to companies and organisations involved in the arts, leisure tourism, and travel.

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