Applus+ will audit the Q tourist quality mark

09.02.2011 - Applus+, the leading Spanish multinational in testing, inspection, certification and technological services, and one of the ten largest in the business worldwide, and the Spanish Tourist Quality Institute (ICTE) have entered into an agreement under which the Barcelona based company will perform audits for granting, renewal and follow up of the "Q" Tourist Quality Brand certification, one of the most distinctive hallmarks of tourist services and products in our country.
 
More than 2,300 tourist establishments in Spain already have "Q" certification, which, since it was introduced in 2000, conveys prestige, reliability and rigor in certified establishments and activities, in a addition to the consumer's buying choice and being a distinguishing factor among the competition. In the words of Jorge Lluch, Senior Vice-president of Applus+, the agreement allows the multinational to «take a significant step towards expanding services offered to the tourist industry, one of the largest in our country, in economic terms, as well as offering an even more comprehensive response to many of our customers' needs».
 
For Fernando Fraile, Managing Director of ICTE, «signing this agreement with a company with the prestige and professionalism of Applus+ will bring significant growth in tourist quality certifications, which will consolidate our own system even more». Thus, ICTE extends the audit field to independent firms, the only ones that are accredited by the institute to perform the audit work for all tourist quality standards guaranteed by the "Q" Tourist Quality Brand.
 
For its part, the tourist trade has received the formalization of this agreement positively. In this sense, Víctor Bañares, General Manager of Marketing and Communications for Orizonia, one of the largest tourist groups in our country, considers «wider implementation of the "Q" Tourist Quality brand, which will doubtless orginate from the agreement between ICTE and Applus+, as this certification involves a key element for improvement in terms of the quality and professionalization of the tourist industry in Spain» to be excellent news.
 
Spanish Tourist Quality Institute (ICTE)
The Spanish Tourist Quality Institute (ICTE) is an entity made up of the main tourist associations in this country, which has the mission of "Q" Brand certification of the 20 tourist businesses that presently have quality standards in the industry, reaching over 2,300 certified establishments in Spain.
 
Applus+, a global testing, inspection and certification company
Applus+ is a leading company in testing, inspection, certification and technological services. Moreover, it is one of the ten largest companies in the conformity assessment sector at a worldwide level and the first Spanish multinational in this field. The company, which employs 11,000 people, has Joaquim Coello as its Chairman and Fernando Basabe as the Managing Director. Applus+, which has been part of the portfolio of The Carlyle Group of companies since 2007, is present on 5 continents and provides its services to more than 14 industrial sectors.