Tourists in line for warmer welcome as VisitScotland customer service recognised

Tourism body VisitScotland has been accredited by a globally recognised customer service training scheme to help strengthen the welcome offered to tourists north of the Border.

Kasia Hetman, visitor services adviser at the VisitScotland i-Centre at Edinburgh Airport. Photograph: Colin Hattersley

The organisation said more than 80 per cent of its VisitScotland iCentre staff have completed the programme, part of a Scotland-wide initiative to boost the overall quality and consistency of the Scottish tourism offer.

Recent research found that a third of visitors to Scotland used one of the centres to access information on what to do during their stay.

Additionally, seven VisitScotland staff have trained as in-house WorldHost trainers, leading sessions for the likes of the National Trust for Scotland and Historic Environment Scotland.

Malcolm Roughead, chief executive of VisitScotland, said: “Tourism is more than a holiday experience – it creates jobs and sustains communities in every corner of the country and is at the heart of the Scottish economy – which is why it is important to invest in staff to improve the visitor experience.”

WorldHost programmes have already been rolled out to more than 23,500 frontline employees operating within the Scottish tourism sector – just over 11 per cent of the overall workforce – with further expansion of the initiative planned over the next 12 months.