Scotland’s third most popular visitor attraction has been awarded a four star tourism attraction rating after rolling out a customer service improvement programme.
Edinburgh Bus Tours, operated by Lothian Buses, recently participated in the Scottish Enterprise 100k Welcomes tourism training initiative, to kick-start a fresh approach to customer care for the 4 million visitors touring Scotland’s capital each year.
More than 120 Edinburgh City Tour and Edinburgh Airport Shuttle Staff have taken part in 100k Welcomes Customer Care workshops over the last year to further develop their skills to help meet the needs of today’s discerning tourist.
The 100k Welcomes programme was developed in partnership between Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise in direct response to the widely recognised skills and recruitment challenge that exists within Scotland’s tourism sector.
The fresh programme is a two-pronged approach comprising a leadership course aimed at developing a quality service culture and an operational course aimed at developing front-line staff.
Elaine Green, sales manager at Lothian Buses commented: “A fresh focus on delivering a first class experience for our many customers has undoubtedly delivered benefits, not least our new four star visitor attraction rating. The 100k Welcomes training helped develop a new perspective on the importance of creating a positive memorable experience for our customers.“
Eddie Brogan, head of tourism at Scottish Enterprise, said: “A key challenge for the Scottish tourism sector comes from the increasing competition in the global marketplace.
“There are now over 200 countries offering specific tourism products for the discerning tourist - commitment from the industry to improve service, customer experience and satisfaction is pivotal to help build on our reputation as a world class destination. Participation from the industry is very encouraging and goes to show that the tourism sector across Scotland is eager to raise its game and take on the challenge of delivering a first class tourism experience that rivals the best in the world.”
This training was delivered by Ian Hunt - Training Solutions (visit the trainers page for more information and contact details for Ian)