The prestigious Spanish Q for Tourism Quality mark, awarded by the Spanish Institute for Tourism Quality (ICTE), is aimed at the voluntary certification of tourism services. A tourist establishment obtains this mark when it complies with the technical requirements of the corresponding standard, which provides prestige, differentiation, reliability and rigour. Currently, more than 160 companies in the province of Pontevedra are certified with this mark, as a result of their commitment, organisation and tourist competence.
The process of adhering to the quality system begins by registering at www.calidadturistica.es, which belongs to the ICTE; after carrying out a self-assessment of the establishment, the state of compliance with the standard can be ascertained.
Once the procedures, tools and improvement plans have been implemented, certification can be requested.
The quality audit will be carried out by auditors approved by the ICTE, and its result will be submitted to the Certification and Quality Monitoring Committee.
There are 29 trades endorsed by this distinction, as well as by the S mark for Tourism Sustainability to comply with the Sustainable Development Goals.
This network is regulated by an operating ordinance and is made up of the information points managed by the Tourism Service of the Pontevedra Provincial Council, as well as all those municipal information services that apply for membership and comply with the minimum requirements regulated in the ordinance.
The Rías Baixas Tourist Office is the headquarters of the INFO RIASBAIXAS network and is certified with the Q mark in accordance with the UNE-ISO 14785 standard. The information points adhered to this network will be able to benefit and obtain the certification, as long as they comply with the established requirements.