LONDON, 2014-8-11 — /Travel PR News/ — In a new partnership with TripAdvisor, VisitEngland’s official star ratings will now be displayed on the TripAdvisor property pages of participating accommodation providers in England. VisitEngland now joins organisations such as the AA as providers of official star ratings for TripAdvisor. This partnership forms part of a raft of projects by VisitEngland aimed at supporting tourism businesses to engage with digital platforms.
James Berresford, Chief Executive of VisitEngland said: “Our star ratings appearing on TripAdvisor is a fantastic benefit to VisitEngland’s scheme, demonstrating the importance of star ratings in helping potential customers to choose their accommodation with confidence. It is also an opportunity for our official star rated accommodation providers to raise their profile even further by having their stars displayed on one of the world’s leading travel websites. This is one of a number of new developments we are putting in place to support business to secure a strong online presence”.
Catherine Tremaine, Vice President of Content, TripAdvisor said: “We are pleased to be working with VisitEngland to display the national tourist board’s official star ratings for graded accommodations on TripAdvisor. We know that user-generated ratings and reviews have a significant impact on travellers’ planning activity and booking decisions – and coupled with the official star ratings, travellers are able to make a well-informed booking decision, suitable for their needs.”
Official star ratings are awarded to accommodation providers in England who have signed up to VisitEngland’s National Quality Assessment Scheme, and allow potential customers to choose their accommodation with confidence. The star ratings are determined by the services and facilities provided for guests, the quality of the welcome, the service and hospitality of the staff, the food, and the cleanliness.
VisitEngland star ratings will be automatically updated on TripAdvisor on a weekly basis to update any changes and ensure stars are displayed alongside new entries.
Additional benefits of being part of VisitEngland’s Star Rating Scheme includes an annual assessment by one of VisitEngland’s professional assessors; Silver and Gold awards for hotels and guest accommodation and Gold awards for self-catering properties to help businesses stand apart from the competition; Breakfast awards to acknowledge a quality breakfast and excellent service and hospitality; access to advice and support; and being eligible for the annual VisitEngland Awards for Excellence which celebrate the very best of English tourism.
For more information or to sign up to VisitEngland’s National Quality Assessment Scheme see www.visitengland.org
ENDS
For more information please contact Angelah Sparg, Corporate Communications Manager Tel: 02075781482, Mob: 07917 183 668, Email: Angelah.sparg@visitengland.org or Sarah Long, Head of Corporate Communications Tel: 020 7578 1452, Mob: 07500555651, Email: sarah.long@visitengland.org Website: www.visitengland.org
Notes to Editors
VisitEngland contracts with Quality in Tourism to deliver its quality assessment service in England, awarding star ratings annually to more than 17,000 individual accommodation businesses. This contract encompasses several schemes including hotels, guest accommodation, parks and self-catering.
In addition, VisitEngland has a small number of franchise arrangements in place with large self-catering agencies that employ their own assessors, who having been trained and moderated by VisitEngland, are then able to award VisitEngland star ratings.
About VisitEngland
• VisitEngland is the country’s national tourist board. We work in partnership with the industry to develop the visitor experience across England, plan national tourism strategy, grow the value of tourism in England and provide advocacy for the industry and our visitors. Our work is underpinned by robust research and customer insights. You can access the latest in-depth market intelligence and statistics on www.visitengland.org/insight-statistics.
• England is a unique destination and a real powerhouse in global tourism. It represents 84 per cent of the total UK visitor economy, is worth £106 billion, and supports 2.6 million jobs.
• For corporate information see www.visitengland.org and for consumer information see www.visitengland.com.
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