§ 16. Mr. RapsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what benefits he expects the harmonised rating scheme for hotels and guesthouses to bring to tourists. [83424]
§ Janet AndersonThe consistency of ratings made under the new schemes by the AA, RAC and new English Tourism Council will be much easier to understand than the different ratings we have now and will therefore reflect better what tourists want to know. The ratings will place more emphasis on quality and so provide greater incentive for improved standards. There should be a greater incentive also on providers of accommodation to participate in the schemes, thus increasing the proportion of accommodation which is inspected and rated for use by tourists. These and other benefits should quickly begin to be found when the schemes are launched this September.