Recognition for Tourism Excellence

By Blue Badge Tour Guide - Anne Bartlett

Tour and Explore along with four other businesses in Gloucestershire has been awarded the internationally recognised "Committed to Excellence" standard from the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM).

In total thirty-three businesses from all over the South West took part in the scheme which lasted for six months. All the businesses identified three improvement projects in a process designed to help them develop a clear vision and gain skills for future business development.

The five businesses from Gloucestershire were:

Anne Bartlett - Tour and Explore
Bairbre Lloyd - Gloucester Cathedral
Colin Badstock - Ramada Bowden Hall Hotel, Gloucester
Jon and Justin Taylor - STITA/Pathfinder
Richard Clements - English Holiday Cruises

The Tourism Skills Network South West in partnership with British Quality Foundation (BQF) and the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM), offered the Tourism Business Excellence Programme for a pilot year. This is the first time the EFQM model has been provided in this way for tourism businesses in the U.K.

The programme was made up of a number of different elements designed to support the businesses to achieve the "Committed to Excellence" EFQM standard, which is internationally recognised. The different elements included three Tourism Business Excellence workshops, four half-day Lightbulb Masterclasses, an organisational self-assessment, and three business improvement projects amongst others.