Quality Certification and Management Systems in Tourism

Posted on Feb 20, 2025 in Tourism Management

Control Charts

  • Objective: It is mainly to predict an expected product outcome
  • Benefits
    • Predict process out of control and out of specification limits
    • Distinguish between specific, identifiable causes of variation.
    • It can be used to control processes in a statistical way.
    • With control charts you can measure how much variation the studied cases present in relation to the Mean (average) value.
  • Strategy for eliminating assignable-cause variation (special cause):
    • Get updated data so that you see the effect of the assignable cause soon after it happens.
    • As soon as something indicates that a special cause of variation has happened, search for that cause.
    • Change tools to compensate for the assignable cause.


  • Strategy for reducing common-cause variation:
    • Do not attempt to explain the difference between any of the values or data points produced by a stable system in control.
    • Reducing common-cause variation usually requires making fundamental changes in your process.
  • How to do it: Control chart to see the deviation from Mean (X)
    • Determine Sample size (n)
    • Calculate Mean and see the deviation from the Mean
    • Calculate the Max, Min and Range of the data
    • Determine Upper and Lower acceptable limits. (not more than… not less than… is acceptable).
    • Draw the chart of the distribution of cases with reference to the Mean.

Scatter Diagrams

  • Objective: Identify the correlation that may exist between a quality aspect and a factor that may be causing it.
  • It has 2 dimensions X (independent) and Y (dependent)


  • A scatter diagram shows the correlation between two variables X and Y in a process (they can be a Quality aspect and a factor affecting it, or 2 Quality aspects interrelated).
  • Dots represent data points and are scattered on the diagram.
  • If dots tend to cluster in the form of a line this shows a strong relationship between factors (positive or negative).

How to draw it?

  • Decide which 2 factors you want to study à they must be measurable on an incremental linear scale.
  • We usually collect 30 to 100 data points
  • We find the highest and lowest value for each variable
  • We draw the Y and the X axis of the diagram
  • We plot the data (draw dots)
  • Look at the shape it is adopting.

What does the shape tell us?

  • If variables are correlated if one changes the other one also changes.
  • If dots tend to form a line they are strongly correlated
  • Useful to break data into groups based on different parameters (equipment used, time of the day, etc.)



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4. European Quality Certification

4.1 International Organization for Standardization (ISO 9000 series)

  • ISO standards were created to make product or service quality predictable.
  • They wanted to ensure that the service or product met the needs of customers.
  • They were created to make things right from the outset.
  • In general terms, applying ISO standards consists in writing what we are going to do, doing what we wrote down and writing what we have really done.
  • It should be clear that ISO standards do not set standards for product quality but for achieving a quality process system.

Main foundations and values:

  • INTERNATIONAL: ISO is the International Organization for Standardization. It has a membership of 158 national standards institutes from countries large and small, industrialized and developing, in all regions of the world.


  • ADDED VALUE: ISO develops voluntary technical standards which add value to all types of business operations.
  • GOOD PRACTICES: They contribute to the dissemination of technology and good business practice. They support the development, manufacturing and supply of more efficient, safer and cleaner products and services. They make trade between countries easier and fairer.

  • CUSTOMER ORIENTATION: ISO standards also safeguard users and consumers, and make many aspects of their lives simpler. ç

  • MARKET ORIENTATION: ISO develops only those standards that are required by the market. This work is carried out by experts from the industrial, technical and business sectors which have asked for the standard, and which subsequently put them to use. Representatives of government agencies, consumer organizations, academia and testing laboratories also participate.

  • CONSENSUS: Published under the designation of International Standards, ISO standards represent an international consensus on the state of the art in the technology or good practice concerned.


Advantages/benefits of obtaining ISO certification

For Business:

  • Cost savings
  • Enhanced customer satisfaction
  • Access to new markets
  • Increased market share

For society:

  • Customers are safe and can be confident of a reliable and good quality product, made through good practices

For governments:

  • Getting an expert opinion
  • Opening up world trade and new markets

Disadvantages of obtaining ISO certification:

  • Lack of understanding by owners and managers of what ISO 9000 is and represents
  • Funding for establishing the Quality Management System is inadequate
  • Heavy emphasis on documentation
  • Length of process (it usually takes 15 to 20 months)
  • Economic and time cost


Continual improvement of the Quality Management System

  • PDCA à Plan, Do, Check, Act
  • Most new users of the ISO 9000 family of standards obtain measurable benefits early in the process of implementing the requirements in their operations (improvements in their organization and internal communication). The benefits must be strengthened through effective internal auditing and management review of system performance. Like all systems, it either improves or becomes less effective.

ISO Implementation: Planning what to do to obtain your ISO certification

  1. Top management commitment
  2. Training the people in the organization
  3. Gap analysis
  4. Documentation
  5. Have internal auditing training
  6. Carry out a pre-assessment audit
  7. Contact an accredited certification body to carry out audits

We have:

ISO 9000: Quality Management Systems (Foundation and Vocabulary)


  • ISO 9000: This family of international quality management standards and guidelines has earned a global reputation as a basis for establishing effective and efficient Quality Management Systems. ISO 9000 is based on:
  • 8 quality management principles
    • Principle 1 – Customer focus
    • Principle 2 – Leadership
    • Principle 3 – Involvement of people
    • Principle 4 – Process approach
    • Principle 5 – System approach to management
    • Principle 6 – Continual improvement
    • Principle 7 – Factual approach to decision making
    • Principle 8 – Mutually beneficial supplier relationships
  • Process approach
ISO 9001, Quality Management Systems (Requirements)
  • ISO 9001: Specifies basic requirements for a Quality Management System that an organization must fulfil to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide products (services, processed material, hardware and software) that enhance customer satisfaction and meet applicable statutory and regulatory requirements. It is used when seeking to establish a Quality Management System.


  • Five sections related to specific activities you should consider in order to implement your system:
  1. Overall requirements for the Quality Management System and documentation
  2. Management responsibility, focus, policy, planning and objectives
  3. Resource management and allocation
  4. Measurement, monitoring, analysis and improvement
  5. Product realization and process management àIt can be adapted to meet the needs of your organization

1-4 They are applicable to all organizations

STEPS:
  1. Fully engage top management
    • Define why you want to implement ISO 9001
    • Define the mission, vision and values of your organization
    • Define your organization’s stakeholders: customers, suppliers, stockholders, employees, society, etc.
    • Define your quality policy
    • Define and align organizational objectives and related product/service quality objectives


  1. Identify key processes and the interactions to meet quality objectives
  2. Implement and manage the QMS and its processes (using process management techniques)
  3. Build your ISO 9001-based QMS
  • Identify ISO 9001 requirements
  • Map these requirements with your implemented QMS, where applicable
  • Make a gap analysis: Identify where, in your existing system, the requirements are fulfilled or not
  • Include in your QMS processes the activities, procedures and controls needed

Implement the system, train company staff and verify effective operation of your processes Manage your Quality Management System (QMS)

  • Focus on customer satisfaction
  • Monitor and measure the operation of your QMS
  • Strive for continual improvement
  • Consider implementing business excellence models in the company operations

If necessary, seek third party certification/registration of the QMS or, alternatively, issue a self-declaration of conformity

ISO 9001: Documents generated
  1. Quality manual: Document in which we gather, in a summarized way, the content of the Quality Management System of the organization à We write down objectives, responsibilities and who is responsible for what.
  2. Procedure and process manual: What it done, how and by whom. It defines the scope of the system, how processes interact and includes all the necessary documents to implement procedures.
  3. Working instructions: Specific details about activities and practices, how things will be done (who, what, why, when, where) and the responsibilities.
  4. Registration: Documents presenting the results obtained or the activity performance.
ISO 9004, QMS (Guide for improving results)
  • Helps improve QMS to benefit the stakeholders through the maintenance of user satisfaction
  • It deals with system efficiency and efficacy
  • It describes how to implement a Quality Management System
  • Gives recommendations to improve organization performance


ISO 19001, Guidelines for Quality Management System auditing.
  • It provides guidance for auditing foundations, programs to manage auditing, auditing systems for environmental quality, etc.
  • It provides qualification for the auditors of quality and environmental systems

4.2. European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM)

“All European organizations, both in the public and private sectors, are facing new challenges. The increasing pressure to compete on a global stage with limited resources means we all have to work together to secure our future prosperity, and that of generations to come. The EFQM Excellence Model provides a framework that encourages the cooperation, collaboration and innovation that we will need to ensure this goal is achieved.”

Herman van Rompuy, President of the European Council

“Excellent organizations achieve and sustain outstanding levels of performance that meet or exceed the expectations of all their stakeholders.”


Fundamental Concepts of EFQM:

  1. Sustaining outstanding results
  2. Adding value for customers
  3. Creating a sustainable future
  4. Developing organizational capability
  5. Harnessing creativity and innovation
  6. Leading with vision, Inspiration and integrity
  7. Managing with agility
  8. Succeeding through the talent of people

 MODEL CRITERIA

– The model can be applied to any type of company

– It is based on 9 criteria: 5 “ENABLERS” and 4 “RESULTS”

 “To achieve sustained success, an organization needs strong leadership and clear strategic direction. They need to develop and improve their people, partnerships and processes to deliver value-adding products and services to their customers. In the EFQM Excellence Model, these are called the Enablers. If the right Enablers are effectively implemented, an organization will achieve the Results they, and their stakeholders, expect” (www.efqm.org)

To achieve excellent results, organizations need to:

  • Develop a set of key performance indicators and related outcomes
  • Define clear goals for key results
  • Segment results to understand performance in specific areas
  • Demonstrate positive or sustained good business
  • Clearly understand why these results happened (reasons for trends, impact of results, etc.)

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It follows a RADAR logic, a structured approach to question the performance of an organization. à It is a dynamic assessment framework

RADAR enables us to:

  •  Assess the maturity of the implemented approaches
  •  Assess the excellence of our results
  •  Structure improvement projects

With RADAR, your organization can:

  • Determine the Results it is aiming to achieve as part of its strategy à What are we trying to achieve?
  • Plan and develop an integrated set of valid Approaches to deliver the required results both now and in the future à How do we try to achieve this?
  • Deploy the approaches in a systematic way à How / Where / When was this implemented?
  • Assess and Refine the implemented approach based on monitoring and results analysis à How do we measure whether it is working? What have we learnt and what improvements can be made?
  • How do we assess or evaluate all these aspects?


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Who does the organization work for?

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A final idea for EFQM… 

In the context of this complexity of elements, the EFQM Excellence Model is a framework or holistic tool to assess how effective a company is in developing and implementing a stakeholder-focused strategy (society, people, customers, shareholders).

To do that…

  • The 4 Results areas focus on what is important for the 4 key stakeholders.
  • At a simple level, it is a cause-and-effect diagram.
  • It is based on continuous improvement, innovation and creativity.

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4.3 Environmental Management Systems (EMS)

EMS: ISO 14001

ISO 14001 requires that an organization be committed to complying with environmental laws, preventing pollution and applying continuous improvement.

It is open to all organizations in all sectors, both public and private.

ISO 14001 provides environmental tools that:

  • Are technically credible
  • Fulfil stakeholder needs
  • Facilitate a uniform development
  • Promote efficiencies
  • Support regulatory compliance
  • Enhance investor confidence

It works with the PDCA cycle for continuous improvement


 Reasons for implementing an ISO 14001 EMS:

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Associated benefits: Imagen


What is EMAS?A very prestigious award

  • The Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) is “the EU’s voluntary scheme designed for companies and other organizations committing themselves to evaluate, manage and improve their environmental performance”.
  • Nowadays, organizations benefit from reducing the environmental impact of what they do à Competitive advantage à Improve environmental performance and enhance competitiveness through a more efficient use of resources.
  • “EMAS is the most credible and robust Environmental Management System (EMS) on the market, adding several elements on top of the requirements of the international standard for Environmental Management Systems (…) ISO 14001.”
  • It is open to all organizations in all sectors, both public and private. It has a specific scheme for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).


EMAS superior quality rests upon:

  • Stricter requirements on the measurement and evaluation of environmental performance against objectives and targets, and the continuous improvement of that environmental performance.
  • Compliance with environmental legislation ensured by government supervision.
  • Strong employee involvement.
  • Environmental core indicators with which the organization can compare its performance across the years and with other organizations.
  • Provision of information to the general public.
  • Registration by a public authority after verification by an accredited/licensed environmental verifier.

EMAS, steps for implementing it

1. Conduct an environmental review: Initial assessment of everything related to the environment (practices, procedures, products and services, methods, legal framework, etc.).

2. Adopt an environmental policy: Comply with environmental legislation and continuous improvement in environmental performance.


3. Establish an EMS (Environmental Management System): To achieve environmental policy objectives (responsibilities, objectives, means, operational procedures, training needs, monitoring and communication systems).

4. Carry out an internal environmental audit: Audit the functioning of the EMS and compliance with environmental regulations.

5. Prepare an environmental statement: Public statement of environmental performance à Results vs. objectives and future steps.

6. Independent verification by an EMAS verifier à Accreditation body of a Member State must examine and verify the environmental review, the EMS, the audit procedure and the environmental statement.

7. Register with the competent body of the Member State.

8. Utilize the verified environmental statement for marketing, assessment of the supply chain and procurement.


EMAS, 6 environmental core indicators

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Benefits of implementing EMAS

1. Enhanced environmental and financial performance

• high quality environmental management

• resource efficiency and lower costs

2. Enhanced risk and opportunity management

• guarantee of full regulatory compliance with environmental legislation

• reduced risk of fines related to environmental legislation

• regulatory relief

3. Enhanced credibility, reputation and transparency

• independently validated environmental information

• use of the EMAS logo as a marketing tool

• increased business opportunities in markets where green production processes are important

• better relations with customers, community and regulators


4. Enhanced employee empowerment and motivation

• improved workplace environment

• enhanced employee commitment

• greater team-building capacity

Distinguishing features of EMAS:

Performance

Credibility

Transparency

5. Audit and certification of tourism quality

5.1. ‘Q’ mark for tourism quality. Spanish Institute for Quality Tourism (ICTE)

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AENOR’s team consists of over 900 auditors specialized in all economical and industrial sectors and who are able to approach and manage global certification, inspection and training projects worldwide.

Any tourist company whose business sector has a Reference Standard can apply for the Q mark for Spanish Tourist Quality, a quality mark granted by the Institute for Spanish Tourist Quality (ICTE).

AENOR performs audits to make sure that the requirements set forth in the Standards are being fulfilled, in order to ensure a quality service that is safe and professional

This audits to obtain the Q for quality certification are applied in relation to the different sectors:

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AENOR has recently signed a collaboration agreement with the Spanish Tourist Quality Institute for exercising the activities of certification, monitoring and renewal required for obtaining the Tourist Quality Q Mark for the following sub-sectors: Tourist hotels and lodgings, Travel agencies, Spas, Restaurants, Beaches Transport of tourists by road

The services offered by AENOR:

Certification Assessing the conformity of the products, services and organizations with the requirements of the standards, legislation or internationally accepted specifications

Inspection Offering the inspections of materials, products, installations, facilities,processes, work procedures or services, and determining compliance with requirements regulatory documents and the subsequent reporting of results of these activities to the clients and, when required, to the supervisory authorities.

Training Offering the most specialized and professional training in the areas of production and operations, sustainability and innovation.


(Tools for management systems, Food Quality and safety, Environmental management, Social Responsibility development, Energy and climate change, Health and Safety at Work, risk prevention, Research, development and technological innovation, Information management, etc.)

Publishing Offering more than 30,000 UNE standards, a wide range of international standards and a specialized editorial background in both physical and electronic format.

• Standards UNE national, European and international

• Subscription to standards

• Publications

• Technical books

• UNE Standards handbook

• Technical guidance books for the application of CE Mark

• AENOR magazine

In Quality Audits conducted by AENOR this evaluates all processes and departments of the tourist business. Each type of establishment has a certain reference UNE Norm which establishes the minimal requirements for its accomplishment.


The requirements concern:

  • Organization and direction management
  • Human and material resources
  • Equipment
  • Infrastructures and its maintenance
  • Environmental practices
  • Service delivery

If the audit process conducted by AENOR is successful, this sends it to the Committee for Spanish Tourist Quality Certification (SCTE). When non-conformities are not found the organization has the license to use the Brand Q for Tourist Quality.

After AENOR makes the auditing, tourist companies obtain:

  • The Q Certificate of Tourist Quality.
  • A license to use the Tourist Quality Q Mark.

In recent years, AENOR has carried out an important job in the standardization of different tourist services and products.

AENOR performs audits in all these sectors to grant the Tourist Quality Mark. In addition, AENOR is a full member of all the sector certification committees where the Tourist Quality Q Mark is granted.

AENOR provides formation for auditors


Audit types according to:

  • Auditing body
    • External (conducted by an external organization
    • Internal: Conducted by the same company
  • Audited object
    • System audits: own quality system (documentation, real implementation, etc.
      • Audit on quality policy
      • Audit about the Organization
      • Audit on the documentation system
      • Audit on processes
    • Product/service audits: checking that products/services fulfill requirements
      • Audit on product/service quality
      • Audit on the evolution of product/service quality
      • Audit on evaluation or appraisal of product quality


5.3. “Commitment to quality tourism” label. Integral System of Tourism Quality in Destination (SICTED)

  • What is SICTED?

                SICTED is a project to improve the quality of tourist destinations promoted by Turespaña and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) à The aim is to influence the tourist experience and satisfaction in the destination.

  • It is based on the implementation of a Best Practices Manual, which varies according to the type of tourist profession or sector.
  • It is a participatory model which requires that participant businesses or tourist services make a “Commitment to quality tourism” in their destination.
  • Work groups develop proposals of improvement for the destination and assess whether the business/service fulfills the quality standards to obtain the “Commitment to quality tourism” label.


  • Idea: TOURISM IS ABOUT DESTINATIONS AND NOT INDIVIDUAL BUSINESSES

                SICTED is born from the idea that tourists travel to DESTINATIONS and not with specific companies.

                To achieve good tourist satisfaction in a destination, the global experience with the different services and businesses must be satisfactory.

                An individual business can improve and certify its own quality, but in tourism this is not enough to satisfy tourists and make them come back, because the destination is seen as a whole where the different products/services should have good quality.

                Let’s imagine… Even if my restaurant has got very good service and quality, and the customers are satisfied with it… if the hotels at the destination offer very bad quality and the beaches are dirty, do you think tourists will come back?

  • SICTED is a tool for increasing the destinations’ competitiveness.
  • SICTED offers a 16-module training plan, grouped into 4 cycles, with technical assistance from SICTED consultants and workshops to resolve doubts and provide solutions, all in accordance with the various professions and services.


  • It consists of:
    • 29 professions/sections
    • 1 Information Technology platform
    • More than 180 destinations in 17 Autonomous Communities
    • More than 3,700 participant businesses
    • More than 5,000 accredited businesses
  • The label:
    • It certifies the fulfillment of requirements established in the methodology and recognizes the effort and commitment to quality and continuous improvement
    • It makes the company stand out from its competitors
    • This label is valid for 2 years and there is an annual follow-up
  • Benefits for destinations:
    • Promotes the creation of a permanent management structure (Quality table and SICTED manager)
    • Offers a uniform level of quality in tourist services
    • It increases the satisfaction of tourists and fosters their loyalty
    • It increases the involvement and participation of businesses in destination tourist development
    • It participates in an important project with more than 100 other destinations


  • Benefits for participant tourist businesses/services:
    • It improves internal management, especially of processes related to customer satisfaction
    • It increases the qualification of your team, by means of the training plan (16 modules, grouped into 4 cycles)
    • It participates in the greater project concerning tourism quality in Spain, along with 5,900 other companies
    • It offers technical assistance

You can apply to obtain the “Commitment to quality tourism”            

29 professions/sectors

  1. Travel agencies
  2. Hostels
  3. Rural/farmhouses
  4. Vehicle rental
  5. Craftsmen
  6. Bars and cafes
  7. Wine cellars
  8. Camp sites
  9. Shops
  10. Convention bureau
  11. Active tourism companies
  12. Tourist transport companies


  • Natural areas
  • Ski and mountain resorts
  • Tour guides
  • Hotels and apartments
  • Museums and centers of interest
  • Tourist information offices
  • Professional organizations for congresses
  • Congress venues
  • Beaches
  • Marinas
  • Public safety
  • Restaurants and catering companies
  • Cleaning services
  • Taxis
  • Travel health services
  • Industrial tourism
  • Other services (e.g., car rentals)

Participating agents:

  • Businesses/Tourist services
  • Educators and quality assistants
  • Technical evaluators
  • SICTED manager
  • Destination Management Organization
  • Inter-destination committee
  • Autonomous Communities
  • Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces
  • General Tourist Secretariat (Turespaña).


How to participate/join?

If you are a destination:

  • Contact the General Tourist Secretariat (Turespaña) and/or the FEMP to see the cooperation framework and participation requirements

If you are a tourist business/service, private or public:

  • You must belong to the participating/member destination
  • If this condition is fulfilled, you should apply to register at www.calidadendestinos.es and contact your destination’s SICTED manager.

Process for implementing SICTED

  1. Membership and recruitment: Destinations must apply to Turespaña and/or FEMP. Requirements:
  • The Provincial Council or Autonomous Community must have a signed agreement with Turespaña
  • The destination must provide the necessary resources for its implementation
  • It must ensure that the “Commitment to tourism quality” brand and label are correctly used
  • It must ensure that the management organization and the quality board are created
  • It must ensure that the SICTED methodology is correctly used


  1. Constitution of the destination management organization (if not already created): Establish who will be the SICTED manager (a person in charge of the SICTED programme) and create the quality board (where local organizations, DMOs, businesses, etc., participate).
  2. Membership and recruitment of pubic organizations/services: To be able to apply for certification you must:
    1. Be legally constituted and perform one of the 29 professions established
    2. Have a person responsible for the organization/service
  3. Training: When organizations apply to obtain the certification, they commit to attending at least 75% of the training courses (technological release) in the four cycles of SICTED implementation, at least to attend three group conferences (group technical assistance) and to attend improvement meetings.
  4. Technical assistance:  There are at least two individual technical assistance sessions in the first cycle and one in the third cycle. (If not already appointed), establish who will be the SICTED manager (a person in charge of the SICTED programme) and create the quality board (where local organizations, DMOs, businesses, etc., participate).


  1. External evaluations: They are conducted by an accredited SICTED manager assigned by the manager of the destination. He/She is impartial, objective and independent. This technician produces a report and sends it to the quality board to assess the fulfilment (or not) of the Best Practices Manual.
  2. Accreditation, renewal and follow-up: If the evaluation is satisfactory, you can start using the label if:
    1. You have been in SICTED for more than three months
    2. You have done a self-assessment
    3. You have prepared an improvement plan
    4. It can be renewed if:
    5. You fulfil the requirement for the visual identity of the label
    6. You attend the training and receive technical assistance
    7. You show evidence of the accomplishment of the improvement plan
    8. You participate in the destination improvement groups
  3. Surveys of tourists and satisfaction indices:  The survey is the same for all destinations.
  4. Groups and improvement plans for the destination


6.1 Complaint Management

  • Complaint management is a critical issue for quality management in tourist businesses as it greatly influences the relationship with customers and their satisfaction.
  • Complaints are a “goldmine” of information:
    • They offer businesses the opportunity to solve existing problems
    •  They provide constructive ideas for improving products, adapting to markets, upgrading services or changing promotional material and product information
  • OCCASIONAL PROBLEMS ARE INEVITABLE, BUT DISSATISFIED CUSTOMERS ARE NOT!!!     If you handle a complaint correctly, you can turn angry customers into loyal customers
  • Complaint management is important to:
  • Generate loyalty
  • Goodwill (intangible elements of a company: reputation, employee morale, etc.)
  • Word-of-mouth


Only a fraction of dissatisfied customers complain, thus giving the opportunity to solve a problem or to improve our service. Many people think the company is unwilling to solve the problem or to listen. You need:

  • Make sure your customers know that you want to listen
  • Publicize your complaint management system à Visible and accessible
  • Apply a total quality management system that enables you to prevent potential problems

Complaint management system:

  • The company’s management must demonstrate a commitment to complaint management
  • Management must prepare written policies and procedures for a quick and fair resolution of the complaint
  • Clear lines and directives
  • Continuous revision of the processes to manage complaints
  • Strategy: Retain customers!! Although a good complaint management system has costs, in terms of money, gaining a new customer costs 5 times more than retaining one!
  • If the conflict with the customer is serious and you cannot solve it yourself, resort to conciliation, mediation or arbitration services


Complaint-handling staff: What should you do?

  • Be patient, articulate and be able to balance fairly the interests of the company with the interests of the customer
  • Communicate legitimate customer complaints to management in order to improve services/products and processes
  • Staff dealing with complaints should know the company’s products and services very well and should receive training
  • Staff should be aware of special needs according to customers’ profiles (nationality, age, economic background, etc.)
  • Be aware of consumer protection laws and of dispute-resolution mechanisms

 12 STEPS TO SOLVE A COMPLAINT AND TRANSFORM AN ANGRY CUSTOMER INTO A SATISFIED CUSTOMER

  1. Adopt a positive attitude
  2. Reassure the customer
  3. Establish empathy
  4. Offer an apology
  5. Identify the problem and the cause
  6. Guide the customer
  7. Request or offer alternative solutions
  8. Communicate the steps you will follow to solve the problem


  1. Solve the problem
  2. Inform the customer when the problem is solved/of the resolution
  3. If appropriate, compensate the customer or do something to exceed his/her expectations
  4. Monitor final satisfaction
  • Today, with social media and specialist tourism review sites, handling complaints has become even more complicated.
  • Word-of-mouth is a fundamental source of information and decision-making for tourists, who want to know the opinion of other users
  • There is a general idea that customers only write bad comments à However, handling them correctly is a great opportunity to get satisfied customers
  • On social media, it is crucial to respond quickly and be very careful about what you say

How to respond to negative comments on social media and blog posts?

  • Even if you think the customer is not right, you should apologize at least for the insatisfaction caused to the customer.
  • You should thank the customers for their comments as long as they are not “TROLL” users.


How to prevent a crisis on social media à Bad word-of-mouth

  • You should be quick, apologize and give valuable information to the customer

Travel review sites have millions of users worldwide and it seems they will continue to grow both in users and in influence on tourists.

  • The most well-known sites where tourists leave their opinion are TripAdvisor, Expedia, Booking.com, etc.
  • TripAdvisor is the biggest travel review site in the world à For many tourist companies, reviews on TripAdvisor have become a real bane because they do not know how to answer correctly.

Article: Do Negative Reviews Have More Influence than Positive Ones?

  • 35% write a bad review if they have had a bad experience
  • 23% write a positive review if they have had a good experience
  •  50% of consumers will stop doing business with a company if it takes the company longer than a week to respond to a complaint
  • However, 79% of consumers’ online complaints are actually ignored 


HOW TO RESPOND TO A BAD COMMENT/COMPLAINT ON TRIPADVISOR

Tips:

  • Respond in a professional manner and tone
  • Respond quickly
  • Keep it as brief as possible.
  • Address the complaint(s) directly
  • Avoid jargon
  • Make it positive in tone
  • Highlight positive changes and updates
  • Be careful of individual privacy
  • Be original
  • Show gratitude

Steps and examples of how to answer:

  1. Thank the reviewer: “Thank you for taking the time to review our property/business. We truly value the opinions of our customers and we apologize that we did not meet your expectations.”
  2. Respond directly to the criticism: Find out what happened, e.g., “Providing our guests with the best possible hospitality and service has always been our mission. We have addressed the cleanliness issue, and or, spoken with the employee in question. We want you to know that we truly enjoy sharing our passion for our destination with visitors and want you to walk out the door feeling refreshed.”


  1. The closing:E.g., “If you come back to our hotel/tourism business/restaurant I would love to have the opportunity to speak with you directly, so please ask for me. We hope to see you again in the future and wish you the very best.”

6.2 Catalan System of Tourism Quality

3 main quality aspects: 

  1. Categorisation The system tries to identify specific characteristics of each individual company, establishment or activity, its facilities, accommodation, equipment, furnishings and the quantity, strength and scope of its services and equipment.
  2. Speciality The recognition of a tourism specialization is a variable within the categorization process that aims to identify the specific characteristics of the service aimed at a particular homogeneous and unique segment or group of users
  3. Excellence Tourism excellence is a public guarantee of the existence of certain comparisons within the area of activity that provide the user with a guarantee that the management and customer service processes involved in the requested tourism service will meet their legitimate expectations in terms of the recognized, advertised characteristics of the business, establishment or activity.


1. Categorization

  • It is an innovative categorization with no precedents in European countries.
  • The Directorate General for Tourism is promoting a voluntary scheme for the classification of tourist dwellings according to the facilities and services they offer.
  • Aim: To provide information about the availability of tourist dwellings whose quality has been certified, with a view to promoting tourism and attracting visitors from this country and abroad.

What are tourist dwellings?

  • Tourist dwellings are those dwellings rented by the owner, directly or indirectly, to third parties, repeatedly and in exchange for payment, for a seasonal stay, under conditions of immediate availability and subject to the provisions of Decree 159/2012.
  • Tourist dwellings must be rented in their entirety: rooms cannot be rented separately.
  • The period of time referred to in these conditions is understood to be a continuous period of up to 31 days. Renting is held to be repeated if it takes place at least twice during the same year.


On 25 November 2013, in Official Gazette of the Government of Catalonia (DOGC) number 6508, Resolution EMO/2449/2013, of 18 November, was published, approving the criteria for assigning categories to tourist dwellings.

The model uses five categories, awarding one to five keys for each, and assesses the following features:

  • Condition of the dwelling (maintenance and refurbishment).
    • Rooms (living room, dining room, bedroom, bathrooms and kitchen).
    • Furniture and fittings.
    • Complementary services offered by the establishment.
    • Local and tourist information.
    • Type of dwelling and location.

The classification distinguishes: Apartments or blocks of apartments, terraced houses and detached houses.

The following locations may be specified: city, inland regions, coast and mountain areas.

Public fees to obtain classification or categorization:

  • Assign a category: Tourist dwellings: €144.45
  • Review or renew a category:Tourist dwellings: €72.23


What are holiday apartments?

  • Holiday apartments are buildings or continuous units made up entirely of apartments or studios, as a single establishment or as a business unit of operation, which provide the corresponding tourist services, and are regulated by Decree 159/2012.

On 25 November 2013, Resolution EMO/2448/2013, approved the criteria for assigning categories to holiday apartments. The model uses five categories, awarding one to five keys for each, and assesses the following features:

  • Building (maintenance and refurbishment).
  • Rooms (sitting-dining room, bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchen).
  • Furniture and fittings.
  • Services offered by the establishment.
  • Type and location of establishment.

The classification distinguishes: Vertical blocks, tourism complexes (resorts) with houses, and tourism complexes

(resorts) with detached houses. The following locations may be specified: coast, city, mountain areas and inland regions.


Public fees to obtain the classification or categorization:

  • Assign a category: €198.77, plus €1.21 per apartment or studio apartment.
    • Review or renew a category: €99.39, plus €1.21 per apartment or studio/ apt.

Rural houses

Rural houses are categorized according to the services and facilities they offer.

Aim: To facilitate the promotion and attraction of tourism, including international tourists.

The model is structured into 5 categories, from one to 5 ears of wheat (espigues), according to the following aspects:

  • Surroundings of the house and building
    • In-house rooms/areas (common areas, rooms and bathrooms)
    • Furniture and decoration
    • Outdoors space
    • Sales conditions
    • Services offered to the guest
    • Suggested activities in the environment (cultural, natural environment, agritourism, sports, active tourism, health tourism, culinary, etc.)


  1. Basic: Represented by 1 ear of wheat. Essential facilities and amenities for the stay.
  2. Comfort: Awarded 2 ears of wheat. High standard of facilities and amenities.
  3. Great Comfort: Marked by 3 ears of wheat. Very high standard of facilities and amenities.
  4. Superior: Indicated by 4 ears of wheat. Excellent standard of facilities and amenities, and large range of services. Singular setting or building.
  5. Superior Premium: Awarded 5 ears of wheat. Exceptional standard of facilities and amenities. Outstanding setting or building.

2. Specialization

Gourmet hotels label

The Directorate General for Tourism is making the culinary specialization one of the specialist areas included in its tourism quality model.

This model is designed to meet the needs of modern tourism and of Catalonia itself.

CUISINEà STRATEGIC ASSET à Many of the best cooks and restaurants in the world are in Catalonia. The concept of culinary specialization for hotels is being introduced at an ideal time of international recognition of our cuisine and culinary tradition.

Ideas:

  • Use this prestige to support the promotion of this scheme and the establishments that join it.
  • It helps the hotel to become better known and position itself as an added-value service provider.
  • Consolidate existing demand and expand it to include new markets.
  • It helps promote local and regional culinary products, traditions and identity.

Resolution EMO/361/2013, of 18 February, approved the model setting out the criteria for recognizing an establishment as a gourmet hotel:

Small hotels and guesthouses (up to 50 rooms and 100 guests) can ask to be voluntarily listed as a specialist establishment à It ensures accommodation meets customers’ expectations and protects local character, identity and products of the region.

To be listed as a gourmet hotel:

  • Be family-run with friendly management.
  • Provide quality, comfortable accommodation.
  • Offer top-quality food with a high proportion of Catalan dishes prepared using local ingredients with Protected Designation of Origin or Protected Geographical Indication labels.
  • Play a role in supporting the local economy & culture.


Five establishments are currently classified as gourmet hotels: HostalEstrella (Rupit), Hotel Cal’Amagat (Bagà), Ca la Manyana(Sant Julià de Vilatorta), Hotel Restaurant Can Boix (Peramola) and Mas Albereda(Sant Julià de Vilatorta).

3. Excellence

The standard level of excellence of the establishment

For example, the star rating of a hotel à

The standard level of excellence is public and regulated by law

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