Newbury's tourism centre is 'first class'
The board recently carried out a ‘mystery shopper’ programme to gauge how well local tourist information officers respond to visitor requests.
In total, 275 visits were made to tourist information centres across the country, with scores allocated for the standard of service received.
Sixty-six per cent of centres gained a score between 81 per cent and 100 per cent.
The tourist information centre in Newbury, run by West Berkshire Council, achieved a rating of more than 95 per cent - ranking it fourth out of nearly 30 offices in the south east.
The board’s website Visit England included the assessor comment: “I was very happy with my visit today and I would use the services of this centre again if necessary. The service given by the staff member was brilliant, as they were courteous and they spoke about the area and its attractions with ease and confidence."
West Berkshire Executive Councillor, Hilary Cole (Con, Chieveley), said: “We are all extremely pleased with this result and very happy to have offered such great service which we always strive to do.”