VisitScotland awards Hostelling Scotland’s Glen Nevis Youth Hostel its top Quality Assurance accolade

VisitScotland awards Hostelling Scotland’s Glen Nevis Youth Hostel its top Quality Assurance accolade

EDINBURGH, Scotland, 2018-Sep-20 — /Travel PR News/ — A youth hostel situated at the foot of the UK’s highest mountain which has welcomed more than 1.3 million guests in its lifetime is celebrating after being given Five-Star status by the national tourism organisation.

VisitScotland awarded Hostelling Scotland’s Glen Nevis Youth Hostel its top Quality Assurance accolade following its recent major refurbishment. The new-look hostel, just outside Fort William – within the Outdoor Capital of the UK – is located at the foot of Ben Nevis, and is surrounded by spectacular scenery. Directly across the road from the Glen Nevis Youth Hostel is a path leading to the peak of the mightiest Munro.

The refurbished hostel offers a wide range of high-quality shared accommodation and private en-suite rooms. New facilities include a contemporary open-plan living space with a log burning stove for the winter months, a well-equipped self-catering kitchen, drying room, laundry and secure bike storage.

The Hostel is also a VisitScotland Information Partner (VIP). Launched in May 2016, the VIP programme harnesses the local knowledge, warmth and enthusiasm of partners across the country to help visitors receive the warmest of welcomes and make the most of their trip to Scotland.

The VIP programme celebrates and supports tourism providers as they act as local ambassadors and help provide information, assistance and advice on all there is to see and do in the local area and beyond.

Chris Taylor, VisitScotland Regional Leadership Director, said: “I am delighted that Glen Nevis Youth Hostel has achieved Five Stars – it is testament to all the hard work by Hostelling Scotland and its team over the years – particularly recently with its refurbishment – to bring it up to such a high level.

“Quality Assurance is about more than just the stars on the door – it’s about the entire visitor experience and driving improvement in that experience throughout the Highlands.

“Consumers want quality and value for money experiences. Star gradings help visitors make informed decisions and select businesses that meet, and exceed, these expectations.”

Graham Sheach, Marketing Manager for Hostelling Scotland, said: “We are delighted to have achieved our Five Star rating. The award reflects the hard work and commitment shown by everyone involved in the redevelopment of the Youth Hostel.

“It comes one month after the hostel celebrated 80 years as part of the local community, having welcomed over 1.3 million guests throughout its lifetime. The refurbishment of Glen Nevis represents the start of a new era of hostelling in Scotland.”

For more information about Quality Assurance, visit www.visitscotland.org and for more information about Glen Nevis Youth Hostel, visit www.hostellingscotland.org.uk

Notes to Editors

  • Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
  • VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
  • The organisation’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
  • This will be supported by five overarching strategies: Marketing, Events, Quality and Sustainability, Inclusive Tourism, International Engagement.
  • The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
  • Spending by tourists in Scotland generates around £12 billion of economic activity in the wider Scottish supply chain and contributes around £6 billion to Scottish GDP (in basic prices). This represents about 5% of total Scottish GDP
  • For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
  • Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
  • For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
  • For information about business tourism in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com

2018 Year of Young People

  • The Year of Young People (YoYP 2018) will inspire Scotland through its young people aged 8 to 26, celebrating their achievements, valuing their contributions to communities and creating new opportunities for them to shine locally, nationally and globally
  • Central to YoYP 2018 will be a celebratory events programme that puts young people at the heart of its development and delivery, creating new and valuable experiences for young Scots and the wider public, with links to the inaugural 2018 European Championships.
  • Over 200 young people throughout Scotland are currently being recruited to become YoYP 2018 Ambassadors. Ambassadors will ensure that people and organisations in their communities know about what’s happening and will lead on projects and activities to create events and opportunities to celebrate young people.
  • The Year of Young People will have six themes which were developed in co-production with young people themselves:
  • Participation – looking at how young people can influence public services and decisions which affect their lives
  • Education – creating a stronger role for young people in shaping their learning
  • Health and Wellbeing – supporting young people to lead healthier, active lives and have opportunities to learn about and improve their mental health and resilience
  • Equality and Discrimination – broadcasting the value of young Scots, challenging negative perceptions of young people, and supporting young people to take leading roles in challenging discrimination in all its forms.
  • Enterprise and regeneration – celebrating young people’s role in innovation, entrepreneurship and the Scottish economy as well as making Scotland greener and more pleasant place to live
  • Culture – celebrating young people’s talent and contribution to Scottish culture and arts.
  • Further information on what’s happening and how people can get involved can be found on the new website www.yoyp2018.scot or @YOYP2018 on Twitter.

Press Contact:
Chelsea Charles
Special Projects Communications Manager
Themed Years
Chelsea.Charles@Eventscotland.org
0131 472 2067

Source: VisitScotland

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