Leisure and tourism standardization

With the opening of borders after the global pandemic, the tourism industry not only began to gain momentum but also significantly digitalized and opened up new destinations. Cruises, flights, health, and medical tourism have become really affordable and safe again. Since tourism includes a huge number of interacting industries, it is therefore the sector that is subject to one of the largest numbers of regulations and inspections. Since tourism, and especially international tourism, includes a certain set of potential risks, therefore, its regulation is carried out in the strictest way. One of the methods for regulating international tourism activities is international standards, which we will introduce you to today.

Adventure tourism — Hiking and trekking activities — Requirements and recommendations

ISO 3021:2023

Hiking is quite a popular type of recreation in many countries. Nevertheless, if we consider it from the point of view of the organization of the process for a travel agency, then a number of questions arise related to security requirements and the norms of organizational processes. These questions can be answered by such an international standard as ISO 3021:2023.

This document establishes requirements for adventure tourism involving hiking and trekking activities relating to the safety of participants, leaders and assistants. This document also establishes criteria relating to characteristics and difficulty level for hiking and trekking route classification. This document applies to hiking and trekking activities that are offered as tourism products. Tourism product design involves a product planning and development phase that is not subject to this document.

Some tourism products include hiking and/or trekking activities together with other tourism services (e.g. transfers, meals, lodging), but this document applies only to hiking and trekking activities, the additional tourism services being excluded from the scope. This document is applicable to any kind of adventure tourism activity provider that offers tourism products consisting of hiking and/or trekking activities.

If your travel agency specializes in organizing this type of holiday and tours, the presence of the above-mentioned international standard and adherence to its requirements is the key to providing quality services and preventing possible threats related to the health of the client.

Recreational diving services - Requirements for rebreather diver training - Decompression diving to 45 m (ISO 24805:2022)

SIST EN ISO 24805:2022

Diving is quite an exciting and interesting activity, which in turn has a number of contraindications for many people. In order to understand certain technical features and specific parameters of the diving sport, it is necessary to have such legal documents as SIST EN ISO 24805:2022.

This document specifies the competencies required to perform dives with a rebreather requiring mandatory decompression stops using a nitrox or air diluent to 40 meters or to 45 meters with trimix diluent. This document further specifies evaluation criteria for these competencies. This document also specifies the conditions under which training is provided, in addition to the general requirements for recreational diving service provision in accordance with ISO 24803.

This type of international standards must be available directly, first of all, to specialists organizing diving tours. Emphasizing the need for this document, we emphasize that compliance with the norms and requirements of this international standard is a kind of guarantor of safety for the consumer.

Recreational diving services - Requirements for rebreather diver training - No-decompression diving (ISO 24804:2022)

SIST EN ISO 24804:2022

When hiring a diving coach, you need to make sure that he is familiar with all the technical features of this area and has enough experience. Since the training of diving coaches as well as amateurs includes a lot of information to clarify the details, international documents such as SIST EN ISO 24804:2022 come to the rescue.

This document specifies the competencies required to perform dives that do not require in-water decompression stops using a rebreather. This document further specifies evaluation criteria for these competencies. This document also specifies the conditions under which training is provided, in addition to the general requirements for recreational diving service provision in accordance with EN ISO 24803.

The use of this type of international standards significantly reduces the number of possible risks and also allows you to protect trained people from using an incorrect device and, as a result, negative health consequences.

Tourism and related services — Traditional restaurants — Visual aspects, decoration and services

ISO 21621:2021

Restaurants have become a part of everyday life and especially during the pandemic have gained popularity in the online world. The restaurant business is an industry with a high level of competition and requires certain innovations or the highest level of service. Today, the restaurant industry is regulated in all aspects, from cuisine to decoration and service. And one of such regulatory documents is ISO 21621:2021.

This document establishes requirements and recommendations related to the environment and the service provision of traditional restaurants, which belong to a specific cuisine and custom of a specific country or area.

This document specifies physical features of traditional restaurants (visual specifications for buildings, furniture and decoration), elements related to the specific cuisine and customs of serving food as well as staff requirements (clothing, behavior, language) that affect the traditional style and quality of the service. Requirements related to the technical characteristics of the buildings and general requirements of preparation and cooking in the kitchen and other back office spaces are not included in this document.

A feature of this international standard is that it does not include any technical parameters and is only a descriptive and recommendatory document for describing decoration norms. If you are the owner of a restaurant specializing in a certain cuisine, we recommend that you have this international standard available to improve the quality of services in accordance with international norms and requirements.

The need for tourism standardization

Since tourism has a large number of vectors and directions, the level of potential risks may vary. Nevertheless, one should not underestimate the level of risks even on the safest routes. Today, the international market has its own norms, rules and regulations, which are designed to ensure that all market players have equal conditions when competing and focus primarily on the quality of the service provided. That is why international standardization every year increases its influence in almost all industries. If your company operates in the tourism industry, and even more so international, the presence of the above standards in the documentary base of your enterprise is urgently needed.

References:

https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/iso/2b16ec93-5b0d-41cb-9a47-c6ed314422da/iso-21621-2021

https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/sist/58170ee7-8e4e-4acb-bf75-174aa4863517/sist-en-iso-24804-2022

https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/sist/5223c4a0-2e24-44ab-ba05-fffe1b8f9a7d/sist-en-iso-24805-2022

https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/iso/b630e06e-0a87-4573-94ba-7a4c5c704aa8/iso-3021-2023