Automatic TQual With Star Ratings
The new star ratings scheme, full details of which are still to be released, will be able to carry the TQual logo. Star rated hotels, backpackers, motels and caravan parks under the new scheme are among the seven thousand Australian accommodation businesses that will now be able to carry the Australian national symbol of tourism “quality”
AAA Tourism’s untried star ratings scheme is the third program to be blanket approved for TQual accreditation by the Tourism Quality Council of Australia. Accommodation businesses now join tour operators, attractions and eco tourism businesses via the Australian Tourism Accreditation Program and Ecotourism Australia as recognised quality businesses.
The blanket acceptance of businesses in this way certainly puts into question the “quality” aspect of the logo under the spotlight, placing huge reliance on such schemes as the star rating system that is being revamped after years of consumer indifference.
Welcoming AAA Tourism properties to the National Tourism Accreditation Framework the minister for tourism, Martin Ferguson, said momentum was building behind the single recognisable symbol of tourism quality.
“This national symbol of quality is backed by the marketing power of Tourism Australia. By using the TQual mark, accredited tourism operators will stand out in a crowded market-place and show consumers they are delivering on their promise of quality, reliability and professionalism,” minister Ferguson said.
But Mr Ferguson also insisted, “We know consumers are influenced by the star ratings scheme and I am pleased the TQual mark will now appear along side the stars on accommodation businesses right across Australia. Accommodation businesses understand the need to offer quality products and services, we have some tough competition with a high Australian dollar and competitively priced flights to nearby Asia.”
The announcement will boost the stars package as AAA Tourism tries to convince accommodation providers and, more importantly, a skeptic buying public, that the new scheme will work better than the last.
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