Hungarian Tourism Quality Award accredited by the renewed European Hospitality Quality scheme

(Brussels - Budapest, 27 January 2015) HOTREC, the European business association of hotels, restaurants and cafés, accredited the Hungarian Tourism Quality Award under its European Hospitality Quality (EHQ) scheme. The EHQ is HOTREC’s umbrella quality scheme for hospitality related quality schemes, developed and managed by HOTREC, on a voluntary basis and on initiative of the hospitality sector itself. It serves as a reference model at European level for national and regional quality schemes aiming at ensuring and improving the quality of services in the hospitality sector. "HOTREC welcomes the decision of the Hungarian Tourism Quality Award programme to continue the cooperation with HOTREC with its accreditation under the renewed EHQ scheme" – said Christian de Barrin, CEO of HOTREC.

The Chair of the HOTREC Quality Board, Dr. Ákos Niklai, explained the objectives of this new HOTREC initiative as follows: "The EHQ is not intended to replace the numerous existing schemes at national or regional level. It rather provides a system for evaluating them and making them comparable".

Following the recent simplification of the EHQ scheme, the reduction of its levels from three to one and some adjustments to its criteria, Hungary is the next country to obtain the re-accreditation by HOTREC of its "Magyar Turizmus Min?ségi Díj" under the European Hospitality Quality scheme.

On the occasion of the annual Hungarian Tourism Quality Award ceremony in Budapest, Christian de Barrin, CEO of HOTREC signed and handed over the EHQ certificate to Dr. Péter Faragó, CEO of the Hungarian Tourism Ltd. The accreditation is valid for a five years period. Enterprises entitled to bear the Hungarian "Q" are entitled to use additionally the EHQ label for advertising purposes.

In autumn 2014, the Hungarian Tourism Ltd., with the support of the Hungarian Hotel and Restaurant Association, a strategic partner of the Hungarian quality programme, decided to re-apply for the accreditation of the Hungarian "Q" under the HOTREC EHQ scheme.

On the occasion of the annual Hungarian Tourism Quality Award ceremony in Budapest, Christian de Barrin, CEO of HOTREC signed and handed over the EHQ certificate to Dr. Péter Faragó, CEO of the Hungarian Tourism Ltd. The accreditation is valid for a five years period. Enterprises entitled to bear the Hungarian "Q" are entitled to use additionally the EHQ label for advertising purposes.

In autumn 2014, the Hungarian Tourism Ltd., with the support of the Hungarian Hotel and Restaurant Association, a strategic partner of the Hungarian quality programme, decided to re-apply for the accreditation of the Hungarian "Q" under the HOTREC EHQ scheme.

"The constant improvement of service quality in tourism businesses in the Hungarian tourism branch is very important to us. We are satisfied that these efforts are also recognized at European level", commented Dr. Péter Faragó, Director of the Hungarian Tourism Quality Award.

"HOTREC is proud to have retained the trust of the Hungarian Tourism Quality Award for another accreditation under the EHQ scheme. The programme is more and more recognised in Hungary, with more and more establishments participating in it. We hope that this EHQ accreditation is providing further recognition to the programme", said Christian de Barrin.

"HOTREC is looking forward to applications from other countries as well in order to make this benchmark more widely accessible to the tourism market across Europe" – added Dr. Ákos Niklai, Chair of HOTREC’s Quality Board.