ICTE

The Institute for Spanish Tourist Quality (ICTE) is an entity of Certification of Quality Systems especially created for tourist companies. It is a Spanish, private, independent, non-profit organization and recognized throughout the country thanks to their vast campaigns promoting the Q mark.

The Q mark is common to any activity related to tourist services or products; among the establishments that can apply for it one can find beaches, MICE spaces, hotels and restaurants. As a seal, it contributes to leverage the public image of the places awarded.

Q Mark Logotype

The seal brings to the establishments prestige, differentiation, reliability, grueling and brand promotion by the State and the Autonomic Communities. In order to be certified with the seal they need to pass strict audits that secure the service delivery and the warrant of quality, security and professionalism to ensure the best possible touristic experience. About the process to obtain the seal the establishment must follow these phases:

1.    Application fulfilling a questionnaire with the establishment´s features.

2.    Reception of the sector´s norm and a self-evaluation questionnaire.

3.    Basic Training about the quality norm of the sector.

4.    Self-evaluation to know how close to the norm the establishment is operating.

5.    Quality Training for the people involved.

6.    Implementation of improvement plans.

7.    Application to obtain the seal from ICTE.

8.    Certificated Audit from ICTE.

9.    Inform Evaluation.

10. Q mark acknowledgment.

11. Audits of tracing and renovation.

As a quality service system, Q permits that establishments adjust the characteristics of their offer to the necessities of the demand but it also strives to develop touristic subsectors implementing common performances for all the participants (i.e. rules and tools). According to the official website the amount of time required to implement the system could vary depending on the size, level of complexity and type of services offered by the company – apart from dedication and implication of the internal resources – but normally a time frame of 9-12 months is acceptable.

Q mark benefits consumers as it guarantees the quality of the products, the service and the personnel; enables the right management of complaints and suggestions; levels the service to its expectations; and backs up the choice of the establishment.

For the company, it improves competitiveness; boosts excellence; improves the personnel skills and abilities; rises up effectiveness and client’s satisfaction; brings recognition in the sector; and offers the technical and training support of ICTE.

References:

ICTE (2016). Instituto para la calidad turística española. Available from: http://www.icte.es/ESP/m/40/Inicio/Preguntas-frecuentes