Venture North: Tourist Information for Caithness & Sutherland
  • Discovery
  • Taste North
  • Map
  • Heritage Map
  • Explore
    • Itineraries
    • Tourism Map
    • North Coast 500
    • Getting Here
    • Year of Stories 2022
  • Plan your stay
    • Accommodation
    • Cafes & Restaurants
    • Tours & activities
    • Visitor Attractions
    • Local Produce & Shopping
  • Things to do
    • History & Heritage
    • Activities & Sports
    • Flora & Fauna
    • Wildlife & Birds
    • Walking & Cycling
    • Nature & Outdoors
  • Area Guides
    • Caithness North
    • Caithness East
    • East Sutherland
    • Central Sutherland
    • North West Sutherland
    • North Sutherland
  • What's On
  • Blogs
  • Explore
    • Itineraries
      • Space to Just be
      • Space to Adventure
      • Space to Discover
      • Space to Enjoy
      • North Highland Romantic Getaways
      • Far North Food & Drink
      • Hidden Gems - Top 5's
      • Golf the Far North
      • Cycling in the Far North
      • Adventure Activities
      • Luxury Stays
      • Wick Away-Day: History and Heritage
      • Wick Away-Day: Seascapes and Royalty
      • Wick Away-Day: Wildlife and Whisky
      • Wick/Caithness multi-day itinerary
    • Tourism Map
    • North Coast 500
    • Getting Here
    • Year of Stories 2022
      • Caithness and Sutherland Stories
      • Storytellers
      • Events
      • Heritage Centres
      • More resources
  • Plan your stay
    • Accommodation
      • Oldshoremore Retreats Self-Catering
      • Oldshoremore Croft Cabins
      • Birkenshaw at Fiddler's Green Highlands
      • Ulbster Arms Hotel
      • Ferry View Campsite
      • Dornoch Station
      • Glenmorangie House
      • The Pentland Hotel
      • House of the Northern Gate - a baronial, coastal Highlands estate
      • Newton Lodge
      • Helmsdale Station CIC
      • The Lighthouse Keeper's Cottage, Noss Head
      • Highland Luxury Cottages
      • The Granary Lodge
      • Royal Golf Apartments
      • Links Apartments and Links View Villas
      • Ceol Mor Highland Lodges
      • Forse of Nature
      • Tongue Hotel
      • The Crofter's Snug
      • Castletown Hotel
      • Kylesku Hotel
      • Mackays Hotel
      • The Norseman Hotel
      • Royal Marine Hotel
      • Royal Golf Hotel
      • Thurso Bay Holidays
      • Caithness View Luxury Farm Lodges
      • Thrumster House
      • North Highland Holidays
      • The Halladale & North Coast Touring Park
      • Links House
      • Dunnet Bay Accommodation
      • Harrow Cottages
      • Ardgay Glamping Pods
      • Eddrachilles Hotel
      • Apartment 65B, Thurso
      • Munro House / Croft 148 3 Bed Caravan / Campervan Parking
      • 18 The Meadows, Dornoch
      • Migdale Heights
      • Aurora Bed and Breakfast, Murkle, Thurso
      • Dunnet Head Lighthouse
      • John O Groats Caravan and Camping Site
      • Northern Sands Hotel
    • Cafes & Restaurants
      • The Curing Yard Restaurant
      • Megan Boyd Bar
      • The Halladale Licensed Café & Bistro
      • Cafe Groats
      • The Golden Gorse
      • Ulbster Arms Hotel
      • No. 1 Bistro
      • Mr C's Bar
      • CC Chocolatier
      • Mr Eddy's @ Ferry View
      • Crenshaw's Brasserie
      • Kylesku Restaurant
      • Varrich Restaurant & Brass Tap Bar
    • Tours & activities
      • Royal Dornoch Golf Club
      • Above and Beyond Tours
      • Sutherland Adventure Company
      • North Coast Watersports
      • NORTH POINT DISTILLERY & DALCLAGIE HIGHLAND SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
      • Schottland fuer Alle - Travel for people with and without disabilities
      • Lichen Caithness Reindeer Centre
      • A Highland Blend
      • Connell Outdoor Pursuits
      • Konstantina Pateraki: Fine Scottish Jewellery
      • Caithness Seacoast Ltd
      • 42Cycling
      • 8 Doors Distillery
      • A Far North Naturalist
      • Assynt Fly Fishing
      • RobbieMac Tours & Ancestry Services
    • Visitor Attractions
      • Dunbeath Heritage Trust
      • North Coast Visitor Centre
      • Waterlines
      • Castletown Heritage Centre
      • Lyth Arts Centre
      • Strathnaver Museum
      • Timespan
      • Dunrobin Castle
      • Heritage App
      • Castle Of Mey
      • Dunnet Bay Distillery
      • Lairg and District Learning Centre
      • Halkirk Heritage & Vintage Motor Centre
      • Wick Heritage Museum
      • Wick Harbour Authority
      • Smoo Cave
      • Duncansby Stacks
      • Whaligoe Steps
      • The Flow Country
      • Camster Cairns
      • Castle Sinclair Girnigoe
      • Yarrows Archeaological Trail
      • Handa Island
      • Thrumster Station
    • Local Produce & Shopping
      • Marks & Pencils
      • Jail Dornoch
      • Aspire HLTC Ltd
      • Patricia Niemann Design
      • Caithness Summer Fruits
      • Winston the Bear
      • Caithness Chamber of Commerce
      • 8 Doors Distillery
      • Bin Ends Wick
      • Bin Ends Thurso
      • Hugo Ross, Fishing Tackle Specialists
      • Caithness Furniture
      • Ice and Fire Distillery, Caithness
      • Biron's Ironmongers
      • Lindsey Gallacher Jewellery and Art
  • Things to do
    • History & Heritage
      • Archaeology
      • Castles
    • Activities & Sports
      • Golf
      • Surfing
      • Fishing
      • Scuba Diving
      • Paddlesport
    • Flora & Fauna
      • Flora & Fauna
    • Wildlife & Birds
      • Bird Watching
      • Wildlife
    • Walking & Cycling
      • Mountain Biking
      • Cycling
      • Hiking and Walking
    • Nature & Outdoors
      • Beaches
      • Aurora Borealis
      • Special Sites
      • Dark Skies
      • Waterfalls
      • Mountains
      • Coastal Features
      • Islands
  • Area Guides
    • Caithness North
      • Canisbay
      • Castletown
      • Duncansby
      • Dunnet
      • Halkirk
      • John O’Groats
      • Lyth
      • Mey
      • Stroma
      • Thurso
    • Caithness East
      • Berriedale
      • Dunbeath
      • Keiss
      • Latheron
      • Lybster
      • Reiss
      • Thrumster
      • Ulbster
      • Watten
      • Wick
    • East Sutherland
      • Brora
      • Dornoch
      • Golspie
      • Helmsdale
      • Kildonan
    • Central Sutherland
      • Altnaharra
      • Bonar Bridge
      • Ardgay
      • Lairg
      • Rogart
      • Rosehall
    • North West Sutherland
      • Durness
      • Cape Wrath
      • Elphin
      • Kinlochbervie
      • Kylesku
      • Lochinver
      • Scourie
    • North Sutherland
      • Bettyhill
      • Forsinard
      • Melness
      • Melvich
      • Strathy
      • Tongue
  • What's On
  • Blogs
  • Discovery
  • Taste North
  • Map
  • Home
  • Blogs
  • CAITHNESS CELEBRATES WORLDHOST RECOGNITION

CAITHNESS CELEBRATES WORLDHOST RECOGNITION

Posted by Venture North on June 22nd 2016

 

 

Lord Thurso, Chair of VisitScotland, and David Allen, Director (Scotland) at People1st , presented the area with a plaque – one of three, with others on display in Thurso and John O’Groats – in recognition of the hard work and outstanding commitment to customer service offered by tourism businesses in the area.

WorldHost Recognised Destination status is awarded to areas where 25% of businesses achieve the WorldHost Recognised Business standard – meaning they have trained at least half of their front-line staff using WorldHost customer service training, a gold standard in customer service training. Caithness Chamber of Commerce has been leading the charge to gain Recognised Destination status, offering subsidised training to help businesses train their customer-facing employees. The project first started in 2013, with funding made available by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority through the “Make the Right Connections” programme, and recently through a new initiative run by People 1st with funding from Skills Development Scotland.

The accolade establishes Caithness on the map as a top destination for customer service, demonstrating the commitment of businesses throughout the region to providing the very best service to residents and visitors alike. Lord Thurso, Chairman of VisitScotland, said: “Consistency in quality across the tourism industry is vitally important and WorldHost's training programme is a superb tool in raising and maintaining high standards. It allows businesses to equip their staff to meet the demands and expectations of visitors choosing Caithness as a destination. I would like to congratulate these local tourism businesses for attaining this important award and for leading the way in great customer service, for both visitors to the region and locals."

David Allen, Director (Scotland) at People 1st , said: “I am delighted that we are celebrating Scotland’s first WorldHost Recognised Destination here in Caithness. It’s fantastic to see the commitment that so many local businesses have made to delivering excellent service and becoming WorldHost Recognised. While the immediate benefits of great customer service are clear, it is also vital for the long-term, future success of tourism in Scotland, too. Employers see it as the most important skill needed in their business in the next five years.”

Anna MacConnell, Stakeholder Relations and Socio Economic Manager for the NDA, said: “It’s great to see Caithness Chamber ahead of the curve again! Customer facing staff can make or break the visitor experience and determine whether visitors come back or tell their friends what a great time they had in the county. Tourism is a very important part of the local economy and thanks to the Chamber’s initiative the future for Caithness tourism is another shade brighter.”

As part of the celebration, the event also saw the unveiling of the second in the series of Venture North’s “Discovery” series of short films. Funded by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, SSE and VisitScotland, these films highlight some of the hidden gems, open spaces and wealth of activities on offer throughout the Far North.

Ellie Lamont, Venture North, said: “Caithness has always looked after its visitors so for it to be recognised as the first WorldHost Region is well-deserved recognition. Caithness Chamber has worked tirelessly to bring WorldHost standards to Caithness and together with all the businesses who have played their part; this is a proud accolade for all. It showcases our area to the world and with the aim to have Sutherland be the next WorldHost Region, we hope our tourism industry benefits from increased visitor numbers. 

"We are excited about the release of our second promotional film in the Venture North Discovery Series. This video promotes the wild, wonderful and beautiful scenery and the activities available around Sutherland & Caithness. Now visitors can see what awaits them and be assured of a WorldHost welcome to add to their enjoyment of our areas.”

Trudy Morris, Chief Executive of Caithness Chamber of Commerce, said: “We are delighted that Caithness has become the first region in Scotland to achieve WorldHost Recognised Destination status. This is a fantastic achievement and a real testament to the efforts of our local tourism industry to deliver the best possible customer service. This accolade establishes Caithness on the map as a world-class destination. Even though destination status has been achieved, the initiative is still running in both Caithness and Sutherland and we encourage businesses to be part of the continuing success story. 

"We were also delighted to see the latest film in the Discovery series. Venture North have done a fantastic job highlighting and promoting the natural beauty and hidden gems of the Far North and this, combined with a promise of world-class customer service, gives potential visitors some great reasons to discover the region forthemselves."

About Venture North

Venture North is a co-operative organisation bringing together tourism businesses from the private and voluntary sector across Caithness and Sutherland to work together for the benefit of the area.

View more posts by Venture North
Back

Subscribe now

Keep up to date with the latest from Caithness & Sutherland

About us

Working with local businesses, communities, and stakeholders to provide a united voice and vision for the development and promotion of responsible, sustainable tourism across Caithness and Sutherland.

Partners

Lonely Planet Best in Travel 2024 Top Region Far North Scotland
North West Highlands Geopark
Highlands and Islands Climate Hub
Caithness Chamber of Commerce
The Flow Country Partnership
Far North Line Community Rail Partnership
Highlands & Islands Enterprise
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd (DSRL)
Caithness Business Fund
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
Developing the Young Workforce North Highland
Scottish Tourism Alliance
  • About Us
  • Membership
  • Contact us
  • Photographers
  • Media
  • Partners
Copyright © 2015 - 2025 Venture North. All rights reserved.
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Cookie preferences
Website by NB NB Communication - Digital Marketing Agency