Accreditation

Accreditation is increasingly becoming a necessity for businesses operating in the tourism industry. It is valued by operators, government, industry bodies and guests alike.

As well as providing your business with the tools and guidance to develop and grow, accreditation assists your business to meet and exceed customer expectations through:

  • Adherence to industry standards and codes of practice

  • Compliance to business and industry regulations

  • Development and implementation of business and marketing plans

  • Assessing quality standards and helping to identify and establish improvement and development goals for your business

In Queensland, QTIC manages the programs under the Quality Tourism Framework (QTF). The QTF is governed by the Australian Tourism Industry (ATIC) and is actively managed in all states and territories.

 

The Quality Tourism Framework:



The Quality Tourism Framework (QTF) is a national business development program that is suitable for tourism businesses of all shapes and sizes. It provides businesses with the necessary tools and resources to ensure best practice management, customer confidence and the ongoing sustainability.

 


It consists of a collection of Australia’s most recognized and well-respected tourism industry programs, including:

  • Quality Tourism Accreditation (previously known as the Australia Tourism Accreditation Program, or ATAP)

  • Star Ratings (previously AAA Star Ratings)

  • Australian Tourism Awards, including Queensland Tourism Awards (to find out more about Queensland Tourism Awards, click here)

 

Program integrity: 

All applicants are supported by our experienced and dedicated Accreditation Project Officer throughout the accreditation process. Our Accreditation Project Officer is equipped to provide as much or as little guidance as you would like.

Each Quality Tourism Accreditation and Star Ratings application is subject to an online desktop assessment conducted internally by our Accreditation Project Officer.

On an annual basis, all accredited operators are required to update the QTF Level 1 Business Standard; a component of both the Star Ratings and Quality Business Accreditation programs which encompasses all legal, insurance, licensing, permitting and compliance requirements.

Physical site inspections are conducted on a three-year cycle. In Queensland, operators accredited through QTIC are inspected independently via contract agreement by the experienced auditors at The Tourism Group.
 

Why is accreditation important:

  • Queensland’s international and domestic competitiveness depends on our ability to deliver consistent, quality experiences and services to our visitors

  • Accreditation lifts the standard of our industry’s and visitor’s quality expectations.

  • Accreditation is also an important indicator of the quality of your management and product delivery:

    • Government and industry bodies look for accreditation when evaluating participation in various programs and in grant applications

    • Our regional, state and national marketing organisations often look for accreditation when seeking products for inclusion in exclusive campaigns

  • Independent quality standards are an important consideration for guests when choosing accommodation and experiences. More and more quests are placing higher expectations on the businesses and products they support, demanding quality and responsible management.


Quality Tourism Accreditation 



Quality Tourism Accreditation, previously known as ATAP, is a business development program based on quality assurance principles and best practice.


 

Quality Tourism Accreditation involves completion of information in the following areas:

  • Compliance with both business and industry specific regulations

  • Adherence to industry sector standards and codes of practice

  • Risk management procedures and training

  • Business and marketing plans

  • Human resources management policy and procedures

  • Customer service policy and procedures

  • Environmental management policies and procedures

For more information on the Quality Tourism Accreditation program, click here.
To register for accreditation, visit the Quality Tourism Australia website.
 

Star Ratings


Star Ratings are an internationally recognized symbol for quality accommodation standards, used in more than 70 countries around the world. Star Ratings are determined by a suite of more than 200 criteria that have been ranked by Australian travelers according to what’s important to them, reflecting the cleanliness, quality and condition of guest facilities.  


 

Star Ratings are awarded to six distinct accommodation categories, each with their own tailored set of criteria:  

  • Hotels

  • Motels

  • Services apartments

  • Hosted accommodation

  • Caravan and Holiday Parks

  • Self-catering


The ‘star’ symbols are a licensed trademark and can only be used by properties that have been licensed to use them. Star Ratings are your safeguard against ‘self-ratings’; properties who have assessed their own quality standards.  

For more information on the Star Ratings program, click here.
To register for accreditation, visit the Quality Tourism Australia website.


 

What are the benefits?

Each program has their own suite of valuable benefits and we are continuously working on new ways to bring greater benefit and recognition to our accredited operators.

  • Join a national network of over 5,000 quality tourism business and increase your reputation

  • Flaunt your achievement by displaying your accreditation logos on your digital and print marketing material

  • Customer confidence: your guests can rest assured they’ve chosen an experience that meets best practice management standards and accommodation rated critically against standards that matter most to them

  • Business development: identify and establish development and improvement goals for your business

  • Exposure: increase your business visibility with a free listing on the Trust the Tick or Star Ratings website and inclusion in ATIC’s national advertising campaigns

  • Credibility: receive an independent site inspection every three years

  • Industry-wide recognition of your accreditation:

    • Eligibility for entry into the Queensland Tourism Awards

    • Recognition of your programs through the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (provided you have an ATDW listing)

    • Recognition for points in Tourism & Events Queensland's Best of Queensland Experiences Program

  • Free access to your own reputation management dashboard with ReviewPro, where you can manage all of your online reviews in the one place

Star Ratings accredited properties also enjoy:

  • Receive a Travellers' Rating on the Star Ratings website, a unique accumulative score aggregated from your Global Review Score and Global Review Index, calculated by ReviewPro.
  • Opportunity to make the annual Gold List of Australian Accommodation (State and National levels). The Gold List is exclusive to Star Rated properties and recognises those properties that have achieved the highest Travellers' Rating using ReviewPro's guest intelligence solution. By making it to the Gold List you are demonstrating your commitment to consistently exceeding your guest's expectations.  

Want more information?

Our Accreditation Project Officer is happy to help.
Emily Ellis
Email: accreditation@qtic.com.au
Phone: 07 3238 1969
 

Other Accreditation and Certification programs:

QTIC also supports and works closely with other credible accreditation and certification programs, all of which represent credible standards and support their members with a range of valuable benefits. It is up to you to determine which program, or programs, are the best fit for your business. If you’re unsure or would like to discuss your options, feel free to discuss this with our Accreditation Manager.