The Whitworth Art Gallery wins VisitBritain Quality Marque

22 May 2007

Prestigious award for high quality of service exhibited to visitors

The Whitworth Art Gallery at The University of Manchester is now a Quality Assured Visitor Attraction, having achieved the British Tourist Authority's official endorsement of high standards in April this year. The prestigious award was given following a detailed assessment of the quality of service and attention to the needs of visitors throughout the venue. The Whitworth was described as 'lively and entertaining' with particular praise reserved for the remarkable variety of the artworks on display and its iconic RIBA award-winning sculpture court. The highly popular award-winning café was also commended, as were the hands-on activities for children within the galleries.

The Whitworth's Director Dr Maria Balshaw said of the award:

"It is essential that the Whitworth's international reputation for its unique collections is matched by the quality and service offered to visitors.

That our standards have been recognised in this way fully endorses our continued commitment toward the visitor experience."

The Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Service (VAQAS) assesses venues against objective quality benchmarks designed by the industry. VAQAS's philosophy is that "a high quality visitor experience is seldom achieved by chance. It is almost invariably the outcome of careful planning and anticipation of visitor needs at all levels, allied to a genuine concern for the convenience and enjoyment of the visitor and the enduring memory of the visit".

The assessment is repeated annually for all participating attractions.