The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has recently officially released the international standard Tourism and related services — Tourism information consulting services — Requirements and recommendations.It is the first ISO international standard in the tourism field led and developed by China, carrying great significance for advancing the sustainable development of global tourism.
“From the perspective of tourism industry practice, this standard not only provides important technical support for improving the level of global tourism public services, but also offers valuable reference for China’s tourism sector to standardize service procedures, enhance management efficiency, and optimize the reception environment for inbound tourism,” said Liu Dongyan, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Science, Technology and Education, Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China.
“The newly released standard is mainly designed to meet the needs of current information-based development. It standardizes the scope, content and quality requirements of tourism information consulting services across countries, enabling tourists to access tourism information through multiple online and offline channels and receive more thoughtful and user-friendly services,” introduced Fang Lin, Convenor of the Working Group on Tourism Consultation and Reception Services under ISO/TC 228 Tourism and Related Services, and the lead drafter of the standard.Compared with previous standards, the newly issued version has achieved notable improvements in many aspects: it expands the scope of applicable entities, enriches service content, and adds requirements for online tourism consulting services. These innovations place greater emphasis on sustainable development and humanistic care, providing comprehensive guidance for tourism information consulting service institutions worldwide.
It is reported that the standard was officially approved as an ISO project in November 2021. After three years of formulation, it was unanimously adopted through voting by all ISO member states and released as scheduled.
