Intertek Welcomes the Release of New ISO Guidance for the Tourism Industry

Intertek Group plc (“Intertek”), a Total Quality Assurance provider to industries worldwide, today welcomes the release of new International Standards Organisation (ISO) guidelines aimed at promoting best practice hygiene standards for the international Tourism industry in a post-COVID world.

ISO/PAS 5643:2021 establishes new requirements and recommendations for tourist organisations in order to protect their employees’ health from COVID-19 and to provide safer tourist services and products to tourists and residents.

This updated guidance applies to the whole tourism value chain, including the following 13 subsectors:

Accommodation
Adventure tourism and ecotourism
Beaches
Catering services
Golf services
Medical and wellness spas
MICE tourism
Museums and heritage sites
Natural protected areas (NPAs)
Night leisure
Scuba diving
Ski areas
Theme and leisure parks
In response to the impact of COVID-19 last year, Intertek launched its new POSI-Check audit protocol which assesses organisations’ ability to prevent the spread of infection and the overall efficacy of their risk management programme. It was created to support organisations across the hospitality industry as the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. This innovative new programme is a comprehensive service offering providing audits, training and service solutions across People, Systems & Processes, Facilities, Materials & Surfaces and Products. POSI-Check helps businesses obtain independent assurance that they are fulfilling their duty of care and provides their employees and customers with the confidence they need, everywhere, every day.

ISO’s announcement of the release of PAS 5643 represents very welcome news for all Intertek clients across travel and tourism who have worked tirelessly to adapt their ways of working and implement heightened health and hygiene controls to achieve POSI Check certification. Over the course of the pandemic, Intertek has partnered with Ministries of Tourism, Tourist Boards, Hotel Associations, Hoteliers, tour operators and online travel agents (OTAs), and activities and excursions entities to provide rigorous independent verification of hygiene protocols and management systems.

Consumer awareness and concerns in relation to health, hygiene, safety and security are rightly their number one priority. The potential reputational damage for hotels caused by poor hygiene safety and security standards, combined with greater regulation and compliance requirements imposed by governments in tourist destinations, has seen more importance placed upon the need for bespoke, innovative outsourced Quality Assurance solutions.

Steve Tate, Chief Executive Officer of Intertek Cristal, said: “The market for end-to-end Quality Assurance services within the global travel and tourism industry has grown rapidly and at Intertek, we are uniquely placed to be able to assist our customers in the Tourism sector via the use of our industry-leading Protek solution.

We welcome the guidance issued by the International Standards Organisation, which will help to promote best practice across the board. The combination of our POSI-Check and E-Cristal management system already meets and exceeds ISO 5643, meaning that our clients and their customers have total peace of mind, knowing they are one step ahead in following the most stringent international guidelines and providing their guests with the safest possible environment for their travels in a post-COVID travel world.”

900 Chelmsford St
Lowell MA 01851
USA

Caitlin Connell
Director of Global Marketing
+1 978 614 0612
caitlin.connell@intertek.com

About Intertek
Total Quality. Assured.

Intertek is a leading Total Quality Assurance provider to industries worldwide. Our network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices in more than 100 countries, delivers innovative and bespoke Assurance, Testing, Inspection and Certification solutions for our customers’ operations and supply chains. Intertek is a purpose-led company to Bring Quality, Safety and Sustainability to Life. We provide 24/7 mission-critical quality assurance solutions to our clients to ensure that they can operate with well-functioning supply chains in each of their operations. Our Customer Promise: Intertek Total Quality Assurance expertise, delivered consistently, with precision, pace, and passion, enabling our customers to power ahead safely.

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This release was published on openPR.