Caithness First Region In Scotland To Gain WorldHost Recognised Destination status

22nd March 2016

Caithness has become the first region in Scotland to gain national recognition for its commitment to high quality customer service, after being awarded WorldHost Recognised Destination status.

Caithness received the recognition after 25% of tourism businesses in the area reached WorldHost Recognised Business status - meaning they have trained at least 50 percent of their front line staff using WorldHost customer service training programmes and signed a commitment to deliver excellent customer service.

WorldHost is a suite of world-class customer service training programmes that have already been used to train over 10% of Scotland's tourism workforce. This customer service training representsan investment of over £2 million since it was launched in Scotland.

The WorldHost recognition was awarded by visitor economy workforce development expert People 1st. People 1st is rolling out the WorldHost Regional Destination Initiative - a national campaign, funded by Skills Development Scotland, which sees four cities, over 70 towns and two set of islands across 12 Scottish regions using the training to achieve WorldHost Recognised Business and Destination status by the end of 2017.

On receiving the recognition, Trudy Morris, chief executive of Caithness Chamber of Commerce, who has been leading on the initiative across the region, commented: "We are delighted that Caithness has achieved destination status. It's a fantastic achievement for the local businesses who have embraced this initiative and have demonstrated a real commitment to be customer-focused. Through their collective efforts, Caithness is able to lead from the front and be the first region in Scotland to achieve this accolade. We want the world to know, there is a warm welcome awaiting visitors to this area."

"Even though destination status has been achieved, the initiative is still running and businesses are encouraged to be part of the continuing success story, not just in Caithness but in Sutherland as well."

David Allen, director for Scotland at People 1st, congratulated Caithness on its achievement. He commented: “Becoming a WorldHost Recognised Destination is fantastic achievement and it’s incredibly encouraging to see so many businesses willing to go the extra mile for their customers.

“Customer service is vital to the future success of tourism in Scotland with research showing that 88% of employers see it as the most important skill needed in their business in the next five years. This training means that Caithness will be well placed to meet that challenge, and I have no doubt it will have a positive impact on our tourism offer not just in the Caithness region, but across Scotland more broadly. Congratulations to all the businesses and trainers involved.”

The latest findings from Visit Scotland’s Visitor Survey 2015, published in March 2016, confirm the important role that employees play in the visitor experience - with over 82 per cent of visitors agreeing that local people add to the overall holiday experience.

Fergus Ewing MSP, Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism for the Scottish Government commented; “It is clear from the recent VisitScotland Visitor Survey that those working in the Scottish tourism industry continue to play a vital role in its success. The WorldHost Destination initiative helps businesses to upskill their workforce and maximise the benefits that a high quality visitor experience can offer and in doing so it is helping to shape our future tourism offer.

“During Scottish Tourism Week 2016 it is great to see that the industry’s key ambition of making Scotland a first choice destination for high quality, value for money and memorable customer experiences is being delivered. I would like to offer my congratulations to those in Caithness behind this achievement. As the first region in Scotland to achieve WorldHost Destination status, they have put Caithness firmly on the map.”

More information about the WorldHost Regional Destination initiative can be found at http://scotland.worldhost.co.uk