- From 12 to 16 June, Seville is hosting the international meeting of the ISO tourism committee, responsible for drawing up the global tourism quality standards, and attended by more than 80 experts from 30 countries. The Spanish Association for Standardization, UNE, is organizing this meeting.
- Spain leads the international standardization of the sector: UNE is the secretary of the international committee ISO/TC 228, which is presided over by Spaniard Manuel Otero, nominated by ICTE. The ICTE is the body that has promoted, coordinated and worked on the development of the international standards approved by this Committee and that have made Spain an international benchmark in quality and sustainability standards for tourism.
- Spain's leadership in tourism quality standards is also evidenced by the fact that more and more Spanish standards provide the basis for developing global standards: COVID-safe tourism, ##2## spas, protected natural spaces, tourism offices, beaches, industrial tourism and hotels, all of which are promoted by the ICTE and developed within UNE. ##2##
- This international meeting is being co-organized by the Regional Government of Andalusia's Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport and the Seville City Office. Also partnering in this event are the Institute for Quality Tourism in Spain (ICTE) and the Seville Council, through Prodetur-Turismo de la Provincia.
Seville, 14 June 2023 - From 12 to 16 June in Seville, the Spanish Association for Standardization, UNE, a national member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), is organizing the first in-person meeting after the pandemic of the international standards technical committee ISO/TC 228, which is responsible for drafting global standards on tourism quality in numerous fields.
Playing a prominent role in the meeting, which is being attended by more than 80 experts from 30 countries and which places our country as an international benchmark in quality standards for tourism, is the Spanish Tourism Quality Institute, which for over 20 years has been tasked with promoting and working on international standards as important as Spas (UNE 186001), which provided the basis for the standard on Medical Spas; Natural Protected Areas (UNE 187002); Tourism offices (UNE 187003); Beaches (UNE 187001); Hotels (UNE 182001); Smart tourism destinations and UNE Specifications for safe tourism against COVID-19. Spain is one of the countries with the largest catalogue of standards in this area, 55 in total. As a result of this joint work, Spain has become an international leader in standardization in the tourism sector.
In fact, this ISO committee is chaired by Spaniard Manuel Otero, who was nominated by ICTE, and the secretary is the Spanish standard body, UNE. For Otero: "Tourism standards play a key role in helping organizations to position themselves better on the market, guiding them to successfully overcome their challenges in terms of competitiveness, quality and sustainability. The fact that Spain is hosting this meeting is the best example of how our country is leading the world in tourism quality standards".
This international meeting is being co-organized by the Regional Government of Andalusia's Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, with co-financing from European Funds, the Seville City Office and the Provincial Council of Seville, through Prodetur-Turismo de la Provincia.
The 80 international experts taking part in the ISO meeting include representatives from tourism ministries, industry associations, international organizations, standardization bodies, tourism companies, academia, and more. For five days, Seville, Andalusia and Spain are the epicentre of tourism quality on an international level.
As the secretary of this committee, the UNE coordinates the 12 working groups of the ISO Committee, which span topics such as accommodations, MICE, sustainable tourism, tourism information services, and more. Each group is led, in turn, by a different country such as Brazil, China, Austria or Iran, which goes to show that tourism is a transnational phenomenon that requires international consensus to promote good practices that improve the customer experience. To date, 46 ISO standards for tourism have been published, and 17 are currently in development.
This international ISO committee on tourism received the prestigious Lawrence D. Eicher Award, the top international distinction on standards presented by the ISO, which acknowledges the technical excellence and the significant contribution of experts to the development of standards.
Promoted by SEGITTUR (State Company for Managing Tourism Innovation and Technology), this week will see the development of the future international standard on semantics applied to tourism destinations, and new initiatives will be presented to develop ISO standards on tourism property rentals, as well as to elevate the UNE standards for smart tourist destinations internationally. These presentations are taking place in the perfect setting, since Seville has been chosen by the European Commission as the European Smart Tourism Capital 2023, thus highlighting its new tourism development strategy based on innovation and sustainability.
Over these five days, different meetings and activities are taking place to discuss standards on sustainability indicators for tourism organizations, clean marinas, adventure tourism, and hybrid convention services, to mention just a few. Closing out the week will be the plenary meeting, which will be attended by a large Spanish delegation, led by the State Secretariat for Tourism (SETUR), thus demonstrating Spain's firm commitment to sustainable and quality tourism.
