We’re Good to Go! Wightlink welcomes new tourism industry standard mark

A new tourism industry standard and consumer mark, designed to give consumer confidence to visitors and residents, has been welcomed by Wightlink as it is granted its own certificate.

The ‘We’re Good to Go’ mark has been launched by VisitBritain so that businesses across the sector can demonstrate that they are adhering to the respective Government and public health guidance and have carried out the necessary risk assessments.

Businesses are awarded the mark following a self-assessment process which includes a check list confirming they have put the necessary processes in place including social distancing and cleanliness protocols.

Wightlink has, since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, put in place a number of additional measures to ensure help customers and colleagues travel safely. This has included the use of face coverings on-board, plastic screens in cafes and ticket offices, additional hand sanitisation stations plus social distancing signage and floor markers. The company has also produced a short film to familiarise its customers with the steps in place and a dedicated webpage.

The ferry operator is now able to display the mark to give potential visitors to the Island and those residents travelling for leisure or work purposes, additional reassurance as they travel.

Wightlink CEO Keith Greenfield says: “We welcome the introduction of this tourism standard across the sector and the additional confidence it is likely to give visitors as they start to return to the Island from early next month as well as the local residents when they travel and visit places both on and off the Island.

“We are very supportive of its roll-out across the Island and the efforts being made by Visit IW to support the tourism sector as it starts to recover from this challenging period. While we must all still act with caution to protect the local community, it is steps like these that will enable us all to return to some form of normality and boost our vital visitor economy.”

Photo: Wightlink achieves the We’re Good To Go standard – Rodney Lane (Port Operations Standards Manager) with Jess Shotton and Isaac Orman at Wightlink’s Camber Cafe, Portsmouth