UKinbound has announced a Visitor Assurance Charter to its membership to be adopted as part of its Code of Conduct. Its aim is to re-assure visitors to the UK of the help they will receive should a force majeure event occur again such as the recent ash cloud disruption. This Charter has been developed by the industry for the industry so that visitors travelling or looking to travel to the UK can be assured that they will be warmly looked after rather than held to ransom over charges and costs.

The Chief Executive Mary Rance said “April and May were very difficult months for inbound tourism with ash cloud disruption and airline strike action. Recognising the need to restore greater confidence for visitors making forward bookings and to reassure inbound tourists that they will be well looked after in the UK should unforeseen circumstances arise, it is an incredibly positive step that the industry has united and initiated this charter.”

According to a recent Visit Britain survey of tourism industries on the impact of the ash cloud airport closures, 49% of respondents felt that it would have a long term negative impact on tourism. Members of UKinbound looked to take action to counter this possibility whilst also wanting to highlight some of the positive messages that came out of the Ash crisis, such as help that was given to visitors that were stranded with us in the UK. The discussions were facilitated by Ken Robinson, Chair of the Tourism Alliance and included representatives from the Tour Operator sector as well as Accommodation and Service suppliers who quickly concluded that they wanted this Charter to extend beyond only covering for another ash cloud event but to encompass any potential crisis.

UKinbound has long set a standard for inbound Tourism due to the outstanding quality of its membership. With the adoption of this Charter it continues to enhance the reassurance and confidence for visitors to the UK and the importance of booking through UKinbound members.