STANDARDS FOR TOURISM & RELATED SERVICES

There is increasing pressure from a number of international bodies including UNWTO - World Tourism Organization and ISO – International Organisation for Standardisation - for the development of standards for the Tourism industry, specifically in the area of Tourism Services. This trend is not supported by the majority of our members.

Current issue at ISO

• In January 2005, ISO Members voted in favour of the establishment of a new field of technical activity, Tourism & Related Services, specifically including Hotel & Restaurant Services, despite opposition from the majority of our Members who failed to convince their own standards organisations to vote against the proposal. Only these countries voted against:
  • Finland
  • Germany
  • Ireland
  • Norway
  • United Kingdom
• This vote was officially ratified by the Technical Management Board in February 2005.
• ISO has urgently requested a Business Plan for the TC as there are fears that the proposal was too general and would not meet the views of tourism experts in member countries. As a result the title of the new TC may be changed.
• The new Technical Committee TC 228 will be financed and co-hosted by Spain (AENOR) & Tunisia (INORPI). The first meeting will be held in Tunis, Tunisia, 27-28 March 2006.
• TC228 reports that it will work with CEN/TC 329 Tourism Services to have the 6 European Standards on Recreational Diving Services adopted via the fast track procedure.
• To see the importance ISO is giving to the issue of Standard for the Service Sectors, read the editorial in ISO Focus, vol 3 N°1, January 2006 (click to read articles: "ISO technical committee for tourism brings transparency to the industry" written by the two Secretaries of TC228, and "Who needs standards for services?" written by the Secretary of ISO/COPOLCO and the head of consumer affairs at the British Standards Insitute.)

Current issue at UNWTO

• ISO and UNWTO have formally agreed to cooperate, now that UNWTO had become a fully fledged UN agency. UNWTO produced a specific report for ISO on Opportunities for Collaboration in the International Standardization of Tourism Services
• Similarly, UNWTO Quality Support & Trade Committee has obtained official liaison status with TC 228 and is proposing to contribute an existing inventory and data-base of all tourism-related standards (see preliminary results of survey and copy of questionaire) currently being compiled to the TC’s work.
• At its latest meeting in April 05 a representative of AENOR (Spanish Standards Institute) speaking on behalf of ISO, updated the UNWTO Quality Support Committee on the future work of the TC, ie the need to draw up a Business Plan, a Draft Programme of Work and a meeting calendar.

Both UNWTO and ISO have stressed that standards are voluntary and that they are aware of IH&RA opposition to attempts to establish an international Hotel classification scheme and consequently do not intend to address the question. However, further moves by UNWTO to set up quality standards for hotel accommodation cannot be ruled out.