Owned by Tourism New Zealand and backed by leading industry organisations, Qualmark provides a grading system for accommodation providers and a quality assurance programme for visitor activities, service and transport providers, as an official mark of quality.
Qualmark provides evidence that your business has been independently validated as a quality tourism business. It provides instant recognition for customers that your business will deliver a quality experience.
Since Qualmark's inception in 1993, quality assurance has always been at the core. Launched as a joint venture between Tourism New Zealand and the Automobile Association, initially focusing on the accommodation sector and then later extending to include visitor experiences, transport and activities.
In 2015 Tourism New Zealand took full ownership of Qualmark and in 2016 the Sustainable Tourism Business Standards were introduced, which included an enhanced health and safety criteria, following the introduction of the 2015 Health and Safety in the Workplace act. Members were then awarded with a Bronze, Silver or Gold accreditation..
Today Qualmark has continued to evolve to meet the ever-changing landscape with the introduction of the Service Delivery and Qualmark Specialist teams, who work directly with members to help ensure their operations are they best they can be, using the Sustainable Tourism Business Standards. Additionally, the Qualmark team provide ongoing support and communications to ensure members always remain connected.
The Qualmark logo means you can book with confidence, knowing that the experience is quality-assured to the highest standards. Whether you're looking for places to stay, things to do or ways to get around, a business displaying the Qualmark logo represents the best tourism experience New Zealand has to offer.
All Qualmark awarded visitor accommodation, activities, service and transport providers have has been assessed against a stringent framework to recognise the best sustainable tourism businesses in New Zealand that deliver exceptional experiences as an integral part of everything they do.
Tourism businesses are assessed by independent business advisors against the highest standards, and stand out as leading the way in making their experience a world class visitor destination.
Qualmark is a certification that highlights tourism providers who are delivering a quality sustainable experience, who have undergone an independent safety check and showcase true New Zealand hospitality.
The Sustainable Tourism Business standards sit under five key pillars, Business Systems, Health and Safety, Environment, People and Community & Culture. Altogether these can seem overwhelming! But they are not really - we don’t expect you to have a marketing or HR department as they were created to be relevant for all types and size of business.
5 areas of focus:
Look out for Qualmark businesses across New Zealand that have met and are maintaining the highest quality experiences our visitors demand, and are awarded our official mark of quality.
For more information visit www.qualmark.co.nz
Following an evaluation, Qualmark looks to recognise businesses that are delivering a holistically sustainable experience.
A Qualmark business will receive a Bronze, Silver or Gold award based on their performance under the Sustainable Tourism Business Criteria.
A Bronze business must meet Qualmark’s 'expected' levels across the Sustainable Tourism Business standards. It identifies a business with high professionalism, an awareness of its impact on the environment and a customer-centric approach.
A Silver business is a sophisticated tourism business that consistently exceeds visitor expectations. Proactive leadership and management ensure a high-performance culture is evident throughout the business. The business will continuously improve its economic, social and environmental performance to ensure the tourism product they deliver is a genuine, sustainable experience.
A Gold business is a best-in-class sustainable tourism business in New Zealand, delivering exceptional customer experiences, an integral part of everything they do. A Gold Sustainable Tourism Accreditation identifies those businesses leading the way in making the New Zealand tourism industry a world-class sustainable visitor destination.
Accommodation businesses will also receive an official star rating that denotes the quality of the facilities on offer.
Qualmark use a star rating system for accommodation providers only, based on the quality level of facilities and services provided. The result will be a rating from one to five stars.
Everything starts with a one-on-one evaluation. If your business is already world class, then great! But if it’s not quite there yet that’s fine too, because your specialist will give you lots of great feedback, ideas and opportunities to ensure the experience you deliver constantly improves.
You will receive a preparation form that we kindly ask you to complete. This provides our Qualmark Specialists with key information that helps them understand your business in more detail and prepare for the evaluation.
Your Qualmark Specialist will evaluate your business based on the information you have provided in advance, along with the answers provided on the day that demonstrate how you bring processes to life in your everyday operations.
Your Qualmark Specialist will provide a report with their findings, your accreditation level, and formulate an action plan of ideas and opportunities to take your business to the next level.
With Qualmark, you get more than a logo that instantly tells travellers you run a quality tourism business. Here’s what you can expect…
A Qualmark accreditation in recognition of your commitment to sustainable tourism
Qualmark accreditation influences consumer and travel trade decision making
The ability to leverage your business via ongoing Qualmark partnerships with industry
Nationwide promotion through the isite network
Collaboration between Qualmark members through recognition of aligned practices
Tools and resources to support members in their daily business operations
Assessed against Qualmarks Sustainable Tourism Business standards, which are officially recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council
Qualmark Specialists come with commercial experience in hospitality, accommodation management and/or management of experiential tourism products. Their backgrounds may differ but they all share the same passion: to add value to your tourism business.
Your specialist will always be objective, but always on your side too. Sometimes an outside view of your business is all you need to take your business to the next level.
