Alfredo Carrasco, president of the Centre for Tourism Intitiatives (CIT) and Antonio Souviron, provincial delegate for Tourism, Trade and Sport in the Junta de Andalucia have announced the beginnings of a new quality standard for tourism related businesses in the Serranía de Ronda.
The new standard, to be known as the Integrated System for Quality Tourism (SICTED) will be offered free in the first year to 100 businesses throughout the Serranía, which includes all 21 ayuntamientos, and will see tourism enterprises assessed on 80 requirements of quality, including customer service, training standards, language skills, and maintaining uniform prices.
The Serranía de Ronda is the first comarca (county) in Malaga province to implement the new quality standards, and only the second in Andalucia. It joins a total of 105 other destinations in Spain that have signed in to SICTED, and is a very exciting development for the area. SICTED in the Serranía will be presided over by the delegate for tourism in the Ronda Town Hall. The current delegate is Francisco Cañestro of PSOE.
An independent group Turespaña will assess all accepted businesses twice a year, with warnings or disqualification to be issued if the requirements are not met.
In the Serrania de Ronda 27 classes of business are eligible to be approved under the SICTED rules, including hotels, restaurants, bars, tourism offices, museums, tour guides, shops, transport operators etc. Whilst the first year will only see 100 local businesses join, it is expected many more will see the benefits and be ready to join in the second year.
Priority for the businesses given free registration in 2011 will be for those that already meet some or most of the stringent requirements.
I’ve been living in this lovely area of Western Andalucia for the last 20 years or so and dedicate most of my time to the running of English language tourist information websites for the towns of Cádiz, Ronda, Grazalema, the famous or infamous Caminito del Rey, and also Wildside Holidays, which promotes sustainable and eco-friendly businesses running wildlife and walking holidays in Spain. My articles contain affiliate links that will help you reserve a hotel, bus, train or activity in the area. You don’t pay more, but by using them you do support this website. Thankyou!
A good thing, a long time in coming. Until now, tourists have had to depend on guidebooks and word of mouth, both of which are highly subjective. I’ve had some less than pleasant experiences trying places that guides recommended.