ONLY five years ago the industry was firmly opposed to the idea of any increase in official regulation.
But now a new survey of 600 British Hospitality Association members has discovered that 73% want a statutory register that sets down minimum standards for the industry (Travel Weekly, January 20).
And their verdict was given overwhelming backing by the 100-odd hoteliers and tourism professionals who attended an English Tourist Board conference in London to discuss the issue last week.
ETB chairman David Quarmby said a number of circumstances had combined to shift opinion in favour of government regulation.
“We are aware that, although we have a very attractive international destination, we operate in a very competitive world,” he said. “Also, visitor expectations of quality have gone up over the past 10 years.”
Another significant factor is growing concern about the quality of the UKhotel product. The 1998 Survey of Overseas Visitors to London by the London Tourist Board revealed that 31% thought their accommodation was poor or extremely poor in terms of value for money. In addition, 19% complained about the quality of the room, and 14% about the quality of service.
Quarmby believes the problem in London is that demand for tourist accommodation in the capital exceeds supply.
In this kind of situation, market forces do not drive out the worst operators. Instead, those businesses offering poor service and facilities are able to charge exorbitant prices and still get away with it.
Many hotel industry players who would normally be opposed to greater government regulation support it as a means of driving out such ‘cowboys’, whom they claim are giving reputable operators a bad name.
The LTB, which has been aware of the problem in the capital for some time, has suggested a statutory system be piloted there.
Ken Male, head of tourism services at Bournemouth Borough Council, is among those who supports a statutory scheme. But what kind of scheme might be implemented? There are various issues to be resolved, not least the criteria to be used in inspections, what they might cost, and whether some element of grading accommodation should be incorporated. The feeling at the ETB conference was that the regional tourist boards should be left to carry out grading.
But Graham Grose, who owns a hotel in Devon and one in Scotland, said the the cost of inspections would be a sticking point for many hoteliers.
“At the moment, I decide whether to join my regional tourist board and submit to its inspection. This is a commercial decision,” he said.
“What you are proposing is that I will have to join whether or not the money spent provides value.”
Grose’s view and those of the other conference delegates will be brought together in an ETB report, which will be submitted to the government.
Tourism minister Janet Anderson, who made the opening address at the conference, is thought to be unlikely to act swiftly.
She stressed that the prospect of the Government stepping in largely depended on how successful the ETB’s grading scheme was in driving up standards. So far, 42% of establishments have agreed to take part.
British Incoming Tour Operators Association chief executive Richard Tobias said: “It needs to be at least 70% to beeffective.”