VAQAS

What is VAQAS?

VisitBritain's Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Service (VAQAS) is a consumer focused quality assessment service for visitor attractions. It helps to identify the strengths of an attraction and highlights development areas, based on industry examples.

All areas that impact on the quality of the visitor experience are included in the assessment, ranging from the enquiry through to the departure.

The service does not attempt to grade attractions but assesses each on its own merits using objective quality benchmarks, provided by the industry.

 

VAQAS in Merseyside

Merseyside has one of the highest concentrations of VAQAS accredited attractions in the UK with approximately 79% of eligible attractions in the scheme. This figure compares favourably with the national average of under 20%.

A list of Merseyside attractions currently in the scheme can be found on the right of this page by clicking on "Current Merseyside VAQAS Attractions March 09".

Accredited attractions benefit from increased visibility on the tourism website for Merseyside, www.visitliverpool.com as well as receiving other benefits from time to time such as help with the cost of attending best practice events.

The Mersey Partnership can offer you a 50% subsidy on joining VAQAS (starting from £120)

 

What are the benefits?

There are a number of marketing and management benefits to joining VAQAS. The marketing benefits include:

• Participating attractions have use of VisitBritain's national quality marque with the accreditation of 'Quality Assured Visitor Attraction'
• Artwork of the accreditation is available for use on leaflets, brochures, promotional literature and websites
• Enhanced national and international promotion on the official tourism website www.visitbritain.com
• Display signs and window stickers promoting your attraction as a 'Quality Assured Visitor Attraction'

 

Management Benefits

• A best practice guide containing many examples of best practice, drawn from all sectors of the attraction industry.
• A practical aid to identify strengths and plan quality developments at your attraction.
• An in-depth, objective assessment of those areas that may impact on the quality of the visitor experience.
• One-to-one debrief providing instant feedback on the visit and allowing other aspects of your operation to be discussed.
• An annual Quality Assessment Report which provides an important reference tool that highlights aspects of quality and any development issues which can be used for internal and external operational planning.
• VAQAS participants have access to an advice service and specialist leaflets which cover a variety of topics including the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and Family Friendly Attractions.

Please see www.vaqas.org.uk for more information.

If you would more information about receiving a subsidy from The Mersey Partnership, please contact Elaine Nelson on 0151 237 3921 or email elaine.nelson@merseyside.org.uk