Press release -
Mercat Tours Scores Five Stars and a Gold
Edinburgh’s multi award winning tour company, Mercat Tours, has once again achieved Five Stars and a Gold award. Earlier this year the family business was awarded an exceptional 92% grading from VisitScotland for its ninth year as a Five Star experience.
The first class grading recognises Mercat Tours' commitment to a warm welcome and giving Scotland's history a 'damn good telling'. This was followed by a Gold Grading from Green Business Tourism Scheme, awarded annually since 2012, for exemplifying the highest standards of sustainability in the tourism industry.
Based in the capital's Old Town, Mercat Tours is Edinburgh’s original walking tour company having surpassed a 30 year milestone last year. Founded by local history teacher Des Brogan, he wanted to share his love for the city's past - an ethos the company continues to put at the heart of all their tours. Today, the family business operates daily history and ghost tours working with the city's premium attractions to offer the largest variety, and number, of walking tours in Edinburgh.
This year, Mercat Tours launched 'Royal Edinburgh Experience', a brand new history tour introducing visitors to Edinburgh’s picturesque Canongate and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. In addition,to support of the Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design MercatTours offered ‘Sketching by the Mile’, an interactive experience in partnership with Edinburgh Sketcher.
Managing Director Kat Brogan said of the awards: “We’re always looking for ways to improve what we do for the visitor, across the whole Mercat Tours experience. From first welcome to final farewell, we have a first class team making sure that we are the best we possibly can be.Our five star award recognises all their passion and hard work in looking after our visitors and our gold grading reinforces our commitment to responsible, sustainable practise.”
Manuela Calchini, VisitScotland Regional Director said: “Congratulations to Mercat Tours for retaining their five stars Quality Assurance award which is a reflection of their exceptional service and innovative approach, seen by their support for the Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design. Our Quality Assurance scheme is world-leading and provides a trusted, independent and impartial source of information for visitors and this award recognises the high standards set by management and staff."
- ENDS -
For further information contact:
Jean Burke, Marketing Manager
0131 225 5445
Mercat Tours, 28 Blair Street, Edinburgh EH1 1QR
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- corporate communications
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors
Mercat Tours
- Mercat Tours is an award-winning walking tour company operating scheduled history and ghost tours of Edinburgh, including, exclusively, the Blair Street Underground Vaults. Mercat Tours is a family business and original 5 star walking tour company in Scotland, operating since 1985.
VisitScotland
- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
- This will be supported by seven overarching strategies:
- Marketing: we will market Scotland and its outstanding assets to visitors from all parts of the world, including the promotion of Scotland to people living in Scotland to visit different parts of the country
- Events: we will support the national events strategy and its delivery, and sustain, develop and promote Scotland’s international profile as one of the world’s foremost events destinations
- Internationalisation and International Engagement: we will utilise all our platforms to enable Scottish-based tourism businesses to better understand international opportunities and market to a global audience and we will work within One Scotland Partnerships to optimise the potential of Scotland’s Diaspora and our strategic partners at regional, European and global levels
- Customer Experience: we will provide information and inspiration to visitors both locally and globally via their preferred medium of choice
- Quality and Sustainability: we will provide support and advice to businesses, with the goal of improving the quality and sustainability of the tourism sector in Scotland. We will provide quality assurance to visitors through our Quality Schemes
- Inclusive Tourism: we will strive to make tourism in Scotland inclusive and available to all
- Working in Partnership: we will listen to and work with the industry, partners and communities to shape our offering and support
- VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- Spending by tourists in Scotland generates around £12 billion of economic activity in the wider Scottish supply chain and contributes around £6 billion to Scottish GDP (in basic prices). This represents about 5% of total Scottish GDP.
- The Scottish Government is the Managing Authority for the European Structural Funds 2014-20 Programme. For further information visit www.gov.scot or follow @scotgovESIF
- For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
- For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
- For information about business events in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com
2016 Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design - 2016 will shine a spotlight on Scotland’s achievements in innovation, architecture and design through a wide-ranging, variety of new and existing activity.
- The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design started on 1 January 2016 and will end on 31 December 2016.It will build on the momentum generated by the 2015 Year of Food and Drink as well as previous years including Homecoming Scotland 2014, the Year of Creative and the Year of Natural.
- Through a series of exciting events and activity, the year will showcase Scotland’s position as an “innovation nation”, its outstanding built heritage, and its thriving, internationally acclaimed creative industries sector.
- The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design is a Scottish Government initiative being led by VisitScotland, and supported by a variety of partners including Creative Scotland, Architecture + Design Scotland, Scottish Tourism Alliance, Scottish Enterprise, The National Trust for Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS).
- The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design is supported by £570,000 of Scottish Government funding.
- The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design events fund is managed by EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate.
- Join the conversation at #IAD2016
