PROVINCE OF VENICE Tourist Council

Transcription

1 PROVINCE OF VENICE Tourist Council Chart of Services of the IAT bureaus of the Province of Venice managed by the Azienda di Promozione Turistica di Bibione e Caorle s.r.l. (Tourist Promotion Agency of Bibione and Caorle ltd.) Year 2004 Abridged version Caorle, tel Bibione, tel Portogruaro, tel

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3 1. Chart of Services of the Tourist Information and Accommodation bureau (IAT) The Chart of Services of the Tourist Information and Accommodation bureaus, or IAT bureaus, has been created within the frame of a promotion program intended to improve quality in the field of activities comprehending tourist information, accommodation and assistance, a field in which the Province of Venice performs the various functions of planning. The Chart s target are all the users of the service and its main purpose is to identify and communicate the: 1. basic principles of the service, 2. users, the functions and the aims of the service, 3. services offered to all kinds of users, 4. centralized services offered to tour operators, journalists and public institutions, 5. means of access to the services. The IAT Chart of Services testifies to the effort made to improve the offered services, using a working method that is linked up with a periodical measuring of the offered quality and the perceived quality. The former is obtained through the detection of general as well as specific quality standards; the latter paying attention to views and suggestions made by the users, added to the results of surveys made annually to measure the users satisfaction. Consequently, the objective of this Chart is to introduce the services offered at the IAT bureau and to show the way in which they are managed, that is paying constant attention to the needs of the user in the various phases of the planning and the management of the service. At the time the present document is issued the APT di Bibione e Caorle s.r.l. runs, under the auspices of the Province of Venice, seven tourist information and accommodation bureaus, three of which are open throughout the whole year, located in Bibione, Caorle and Portogruaro, and four of which are open seasonally. The IAT service also operates centralized services offered to tour operators, journalists and local institutions. The territorial competency of the A.P.T. di Bibione e Caorle s.r.l. includes the following communes (municipal districts): Caorle, San Michele al Tagliamento, S. Stino di Livenza, Annone Veneto, Cinto Caomaggiore, Gruaro, Teglio Veneto, Fossalta di Portogruaro, Portogruaro, Pramaggiore, Concordia Sagittaria. 2. Main Principles of the IAT service The services of tourist information, accommodation and assistance supplied by the A.P.T. di Bibione e Caorle s.r.l. have the aim of satisfying the needs of its users honouring the principles of courtesy, equality, impartiality, continuity, participation, efficiency and effectiveness as well as of a clear and understandable language, as specified below. The operators of the IAT service and its whole personnel consider courtesy and readiness a fundamental requisite of the relation to the costumer, paying maximal attention and listening constantly to his/her requests. The IAT operators offer information and accommodation to any category of receiver of the service with equality and impartiality. However, special treatment may be practiced in conditions of actual need and when serving senior citizens, disabled persons or other categories considered weak in any respect. The users are guaranteed a continuous and reliable service: the information and accommodation service is always guaranteed during the opening hours of the bureaus, clearly indicated in this document, with the exception of uncontrollable events due to a third party. In such cases the Azienda di Promozione Tusristica di Bibione e Caorle s.r.l. commits itself to reduce the duration of the disservice to a minimum. The participation of the user in the supply of the services is guaranteed by means of systematically collecting suggestions and proposals of how to improve the offered service, as well as by monitoring the quality of the offered services through surveys of the users satisfaction. The operators of the IAT service wear an identification badge that the user may ask to see whenever served by the personnel of the APT di Bibione e Caorle s.r.l. The activity of providing tourist information and accommodation has as its aim to progressively improve its offered services pursuing efficiency, that is the best possible management of the available resources, and effectiveness, that is offering a clear and relevant service that meets the needs and expectations of the user. The IAT operators commit themselves to use a clear and understandable language, that is simple and efficient, when communicating with the users through any of the channels available for the conveyance of the service, such as counter, telephone, fax, mail, and its website. 3

4 3. Tourist information and accommodation bureaus The Service of Tourist Information and Accommodation, named IAT or IAT bureau, performs functions including accommodation and information on any aspect that may be of help or offer guidance chiefly to tourists during their holiday and facilitate their stay in the territory. The IAT bureaus are a counter open to the users and they represent the territory s business card and shop window. Users, access channels, functions and activities The users. The users of the IAT service are all the persons who wish to obtain tourist information, assistance and accommodation, using the services and the modes indicated in the present Chart. That is tourists, Italians and foreigners, tour operators, journalists, professional unions, public institutions as well as any other person who wishes to derive benefit from the tourist resources of the territory. Channels of access and supply of the service. The users of the IAT bureau may gain access to the service through different channels, such as: the IAT bureau s counter, telephone, fax, ordinary mail, and its website. Analogously, the channels used for the supply of the service are the same ones. Functions and main activities. According to Article 20 of the Regional Law of November 4th 2002 no. 33, Testo unico delle leggi regionali in materia di turismo (Consolidation act of the regional laws on matters concerning tourism), the IAT bureau performs the following functions and activities: 1. It provides information on local resources relative to environment, landscape and history, on tourist itineraries, places of worship, museums, exhibitions, art galleries and events; on accommodations in hotels and lodgings not classified as hotels (incl. services offered, prices and vacant lodgings in the days of maximum presence of tourists during the high season) as well as bathing establishments and restaurants; on happenings in the territory; recreational facilities and leisure centres; public and private means of transport; emergencies and useful tips. 2. It distributes promotional information produced by itself, by the Province of Venice and by the APTs in the territory, such as local maps, guidebooks containing information of historical, artistic and cultural character, itineraries with special themes, etc. 3. It publishes and distributes its own material and that of other A.P.T. bureaus. 4. It promotes and organizes local happenings, performances and events, (exhibitions, cinema, celebrations, theatre seasons, markets, sports events, etc.) and promotes the image of the territory comprehending the Province of Venice with regard to its cultural, historical, economic and social aspects, also in collaboration with public and private institutions. 5. It provides assistance and accommodation to tour operators, journalists and operators engaged in communication also through the organization of professional assistance and educational tours. 6. It sells publications for tourists. 7. It issues temporary number plates for motorboats with more than 10 HP. 8. It accepts and forwards notifications of disservices and complaints, as well as suggestions and proposals made by tourists and local operators in order to improve the tourist service and the quality of the hospitality. Furthermore, the bureau collaborates with local establishments and bodies representing the entrepreneurs in the organization of other activities of interest for tourists. Aims of the I.A.T. service and future objectives The aim of the I.A.T. service is to enhance knowledge and favour the development of the territory s wealth and cultural and environmental heritage, guaranteeing the whole range of information of possible interest to tourists, in order to completely satisfy its users within the competency of the Province of Venice. Within the scope of its information and accommodation service, The Provincial Council and the APT di Bibione e Caorle s.r.l. consider it equally fundamental, along with the quality of the information and the competency of the operators, that they also show cordiality and helpfulness. The IAT service is open to everyone and its future objective is to continually improve its own services by means of paying constant attention to quality and to the participation of its users, making surveys measuring the satisfaction of the offered service and taking notice of proposals and suggestions. The future objectives concern the improvement of the quality of the offered services, by means of systematically training and keeping its personnel up-to-date, by means of creating a communication service with a press agency having a worldwide range, supposed to transmit information on the Venetian territory in a swift and targeted manner, by means of redefining and extending the road signs indicating the access and proximity to the IAT network as well as to every single bureau, by means of renewing and extending the supplies of furniture in every single IAT bureau and substituting and extending the offices possess of computers and equipment. 4

5 How to reach the IAT services The users of the IAT service can gain access to the service through various channels such as: the IAT bureau s counter, telephone, fax, ordinary mail or or its website. Addresses of the A.P.T. di Bibione e Caorle s.r.l. head office and of the IAT bureaus In section 7 you will find the addresses of all the IAT bureaus within the Province of Venice, divided in distinct A.P.T.s. Opening hours During the year 2003 the A.P.T. di Bibione e Caorle s.r.l. was able to guarantee that the IAT bureaus were held open for 350 days totalling 11,572 hours. The users served at the counters from January 2nd to December 31st were 175,032. Here following you will find the opening hours of the IAT counters for the year 2004, which may vary along with the demands related to the affluence of tourists during special events and/or festivities. IAT OPEN OPENING HOURS Caorle, Calle delle Liburniche Porto Santa Margherita Duna Verde YEAR-AROUND SEASONALLY from to SEASONALLY from to am 2pm from November to January 9am 12.30pm, 3pm 5.30pm February, March, April, October 8am 8pm May and September 8am 10pm June, July, August 9.30am 12.30pm, 4pm 7pm May, June, September 9.30am 12.30pm, 5pm 8pm July, August 09.30am 12.30pm, 4pm 7pm May, June, September 09.30am 12.30pm, 5pm 8pm July, August Portogruaro YEAR-AROUND 8am 2pm (closed on Sundays and holidays) Bibione, Via Maja YEAR-AROUND 8am 2pm (closed on Sundays and holidays, except for ) Bibione, Viale Aurora Bibione Pineda SEASONALLY from to SEASONALLY from to am 12.30pm / 3pm-5.30pm April and October 8am 8pm May and September 8am 10pm June, July and August 09.30am 12.30pm, 4pm 7pm May, June, September 09.30am 12.30pm, 5pm 8pm July, August 4. IAT Services for all users In this section you will find a description of the various types of offered services, considering the various types of users, the different channels of reaching and obtaining the service, as well as the quality standards that the IAT bureau guarantees its users, in relation to the time and the modes employed to obtain the IAT services, which include: The information service, Distribution of informative material, Other services: sale, issue of temporary number plates, Complaints service, Website. The standards described chiefly concern the waiting time and the time it takes to supply services at the IAT counters. Time limit for waiting at the counters All the time limits for waiting for services at the counters vary depending on whether the period is of normal or maximum affluence of tourists. The maximum affluence occurs around Whitsuntide and the 15 th of August. Normal affluence of tourists at the IAT bureau- Maximum waiting time: 10 minutes Maximum affluence of tourists at the IAT bureau- Maximum waiting time: 15 minutes 5

6 Time limit for service supply at the counter and over the phone In order to respect the principle of equality and impartiality towards the users, the limit for the time employed by the operator to supply services at the counter and over the phone is determined as described in chart 1. They all vary depending on the affluence of tourists. Chart 1 Time limit for service supply at the counter and over the phone in relation to type of tourist affluence. The time limits for service supply are to be intended as the time that the IAT operator can dedicate to every single user. Channel of access to the IAT service Affluence of tourists at the IAT bureau Time limit for supply Counter Normal 10 minutes Maximum 5 minutes Telephone Normal 3 minutes Maximum 2 minutes Information service. The IAT service supplies information of interest to tourists as described in Chart 2. It offers both simple information and complex information. A piece of complex information requires the elaboration and/or the gathering of several simple pieces of information already arranged and at hand, and the consequent forming of a verbal (information at the counter and over the phone) or a written (information by mail, or fax) synthesis. Consequently, providing complex information requires more time than a piece of simple information and occasionally the user may be asked to wait, due to the complexity of his question. The information described in Chart 2 is available at the counters of all the IAT bureaus and may be conveyed by phone, fax, ordinary mail or . Information available at the IAT bureau Chart 2 Details on the information delivered at the IAT bureau, grouped into major types. a. Local resources relative to environment, landscape and history, places of worship, museums, exhibitions, art galleries and events Local resources, environment, landscape and history Places of worship, museums, exhibitions, art galleries (addresses and opening hours) Tourist itineraries: culture, nature, waterways and food-and-wine tours Guides and excursions c. Bathing establishments and restaurants Addresses, phone numbers and prices of the bathing establishments Addresses and phone numbers of restaurants Addresses and phone numbers of the wineries along the Wine Road of the DOC wine district of Lison- Pramaggiore e. Tourist itineraries Cultural and artistic itineraries Natural itineraries Cycle paths Wine tours Tours along waterways Archaeological sites Excursions and sightseeing trips b. Accommodations in hotels and lodgings not classified as hotels Addresses and numbers of accommodations in hotels and other lodgings Services and prices of the accommodation facilities Vacant lodgings in the period around Whit sun and mid-august d. Events in the territory Local happenings and folklore Feasts and Fairs Concerts, Opera, Festivals of music Theatrical performances Sports and tournaments Conferences and courses Cinema projections Exhibitions, competitions of art and culture f. Available guides Addresses and phone numbers of guides 6

7 g. Recreational facilities and leisure centres Thermal baths Sports centres Theatres, Cinema, Video libraries Water parks, amusement parks, spaces for children Riding grounds Internet Points Discos, disco-bars, night clubs Lotto, Enalotto (state lotto) and football pools offices h. Public and private means of transport Airports Cars Buses (timetables and routes) Trains ((timetables and routes) Motor ships Taxis Parking Stopping places (campers, caravans) Motorway network, main long-distance highways j. Useful tips Major tourist boards operating in the territory (Consortiums, Municipalities, Province, Region, etc) Private and public Information Bureaus Weather and ARPAV reports (Regional Agency for Environmental Protection and Prevention) Travel agencies Real Estate Agencies Postal offices, banks Consulates Customs Fishing licenses (requirements and formalities for practicing the sport regularly) Music and language schools Libraries and Youth information centres Congress and exhibition centres Dry cleaner s and laundrettes Toilets i. Emergency Police First aid Medical assistance Pharmacies Breakdown service Chart 3 - Time of reply according to type of information and channel of access-supply of the Information Service Who demands a piece of information, which is A user, who gains access to the IAT by... simple complex Channel of access/conveyance for IAT services Will get a reply... Counter...immediately, as soon as it s his/her turn... within 15 minutes at most. Telephone Fax or Ordinary mail Immediately, as soon as he/she manages to get through Within one day, bearing in mind that the reply will be given within the workday if the fax or arrives in the morning, within the morning of the following workday if the fax or arrives in the afternoon. Time limit: it will be sent within the 3rd workday after the arrival. Within one day, that is within the workday if the phone call takes place in the morning, within the morning of the following workday if the phone call takes place in the afternoon. Same as the simple information, within one day, bearing in mind that the reply will be given within the workday if the fax or arrives in the morning, within the morning of the following workday if the fax or arrives in the afternoon. Same as the simple information, it will be sent within the 3rd workday after the arrival. 7

8 Distribution of informative material At the IAT bureaus you will find promotional information relative to the territories of the province of Venice, especially regarding the communes (municipal districts) of the territory within the competence of the A.P.T. di Bibione e Caorle s.r.l. The material contains information of geographic, historical, artistic and cultural nature; it is edited in several languages and distributed at the counters of all IAT offices. It can also be ordered by phone, mail, fax, and and sent by ordinary mail. The IAT bureau guarantees the presence of determined types of information to its users. The leaflets and guidebooks, available for any user that might ask for them at any IAT bureau, include: a. Material available at the counter for all users helping them to find their bearings in the resort: 1. Location map of the localities of Bibione, Caorle and Portogruaro 2. Informative leaflet on the localities of Bibione, Caorle and Portogruaro 3. Calendar indicating the local events 4. List of accommodation facilities and relative prices 5. Timetable of the means of transport within the territory b. Material available at the IAT counter for all users helping them to find their bearings in the Province of Venice: 1. Location maps of localities in the Province of Venice 2. Booklet describing localities in the Venetian surroundings 3. List of accommodation facilities in the Venetian localities. Other services: things for sale, issue of temporary number plates The IAT bureaus also handle other types of services addressed to tourists, such as issuing temporary number plates requested for motorboats exceeding 10 HP entering the Venetian Lagoon. Other services with the aim of enhancing the quality of the hospitality are indicated in Chart 4. Chart 4 Other services supplied by the IAT bureau for enhanced quality of hospitality Type of service Issue of temporary number plates for boats Sale Description Issue of temporary number plates necessary for the access to the Venetian lagoon, for motorboats exceeding 10 HP. This service is offered at all the IAT counters and the plates are available immediately, at the moment they are requested Publications for tourists The website An important source of information for all the users of the tourist information and accommodation service is its website, where you can consult more than two hundred pages for each language. In it you can find a description of the tourist resources of every resort in the territory within the competence of the APT, of itineraries with special themes, especially focusing on culture, on the Wine Road, on waterways, places of naturalistic interest and cycle tracks. In addition to the illustration of the territory there are search engines giving access to any kind of useful information, to all the accommodation facilities operating in the territory and the happenings taking place in the area. You can gain access to it through the site of the Province of Venice ( through the website of the Tourist Sector ( or through the website of the A.P.T. di Bibione e Caorle s.r.l. ( Complaints service The users of the IAT service, Italian and foreign tourists in particular, have the possibility to express negative opinions regarding their stay or to transmit their complaints or the disservices suffered during their visit. As a matter of fact the IAT bureau accepts and forwards the reports of disservices and complaints expressed by the users to competent authorities. Both the observations and the complaints are handled in collaboration with the operator of the IAT bureau, who will invite the user to describe any disservice in written form, filling out a form for registration of complaints. Subsequently the reports of disservices and the complaints will be forwarded to competent authorities where they will be treated according to the procedure of the case. 8

9 6. IAT services for tour operators, operators engaged in communication and for local institutions The services available at the head office of the APT di Bibione e Caorle s.r.l. for tour operators, journalists and other institutions include: - distribution of informative material and - tourist accommodation and promotion of the territory through the organisation of local events and through the professional assistance. Distribution of information and other kinds of material - The informative material is available having previously made a written request addressed to the administrative department of the APT di Bibione e Caorle s.r.l. Chart 5 Type of available information and quantity according to type of user Local operator or Professional Union Journalist Tour operator Public institution Informative material location maps of the resort, with an upper limit of 50 items per season (*) leaflets on the resort, with an upper limit of 50 items per season (*) calendars indicating local events, with an upper limit of 300 items per season (*)The supply is subject to the sigature of the stock book. Major quantities are charged for. Press file, containing: 1. CD with photos of the resort 2. Informative profile of the resort 3. Press release of happenings, events etc location maps of the resort, with an upper limit of 100 items per season leaflets on the city, with an upper limit of 100 items per season lists of accommodation facilities, with an upper limit of 100 items per season calendars indicating local events, with an upper limit of 100 items per season detailed maps of the resort, with an upper limit of 100 items per season leaflets on the resort with an upper limit of 100 items per season calendars indicating local events with an upper limit of 100 items per season Tourist accommodation and promotion: local events and professional assistance The tourist accommodation is also sustained by means of increasing the knowledge and the value of the territory through the organization of local events, added to the collaboration and the assistance offered by other public and private institutions operating in the territory. The professional assistance service offers tourist information to qualified tour operators and operators engaged in communication coming from various countries, mainly through the organization of so called educational tours that also involve operators of air and naval transports. 9

10 7. Addresses of the Tourist Information and Accommodation Bureaus within the Province of Venice APT Venezia s.r.l. - San Lorenzo, Palazzo Ziani, Castello 5050, Venice tel , fax , IAT ADDRESS POST CODE COMMUNE PHONE FAX Venice, URP Castello, 5050 Venice VENICE info@turismovenezia.it Venice, Piazzale Roma Garage Azienda Servizi Mobilità VENICE info@turismovenezia.it Venice, Railway Station Stazione Ferroviaria S. Lucia VENICE info@turismovenezia.it Venice, San Marco 71/f San Marco 71/f Ascensione VENICE info@turismovenezia.it Venice, Venice Pavilion San Marco, Palazzina del Santi 2/f VENICE info@turismovenezia.it Tessera, Airport Aeroporto Marco Polo (Sala arrivi) VENICE info@turismovenezia.it Venice Lido Gran Viale 6/a VENICE info@turismovenezia.it Arino-Dolo Area servizio Arino sud, autostrada PD-VE DOLO info@turismovenezia.it Cavallino Treporti Punta Sabbioni, Piazzale Punta Sabbioni CAVALLINO info@turismovenezia.it Marghera Rotatoria Villabona Sud VENICE info@turismovenezia.it Mira, Brenta Canal Villa Widmann Foscari, Via Nazionale MIRA info@turismovenezia.it APT Jesolo-Eraclea s.r.l. - Piazza Brescia, Lido di Jesolo (VE), tel automatic PBX., fax , IAT ADDRESS POST CODE COMMUNE PHONE FAX Jesolo, Piazza Brescia Piazza Brescia, 13 Lido di Jesolo Jesolo info@aptjesoloeraclea.it Jesolo, Piazza Torino Piazza Torino Jesolo info@aptjesoloeraclea.it Eraclea Mare Via Marinella, Eraclea automatic PBX infoeraclea@aptjesoloeraclea.it APT Bibione e Caorle s.r.l. head office in Caorle, Via Strada Nuova, 80 B , Caorle (VE) tel , fax Head office in Bibione and head office in Portogruaro see IAT Sites: IAT ADDRESS POST CODE COMMUNE PHONE FAX Caorle Calle delle Liburniche, Caorle info@caorleturismo.it Porto Santa Margherita Corso Genova, Caorle info@caorleturismo.i Duna Verde Piazza Spalato, Caorle info@caorleturismo.it Portogruaro (IAT and head office) Via Martiri della Libertà,19/ Portogruaro info@portogruaroturismo.it Bibione Viale Aurora, S. Michele al Tagliamento info@bibioneturismo.it Bibione (IAT and head office) Via Maja, 37/ S. Michele al Tagliamento info@bibioneturismo.it Bibione Pineda Viale dei Ginepri, S. Michele al Tagliamento info@bibioneturismo.it APT Chioggia s.r.l. - Lungomare Adriatico, Chioggia (VE) tel fax , IAT ADDRESS POST CODE COMMUNE PHONE FAX Sottomarina Lungomare Adriatico, Chioggia info@chioggiatourism.it Chioggia Campo Marconi, Chioggia info@chioggiatourism.it 10

11 8. Validity of the Chart The present Chart of Services of the IAT bureau has been formulated on the basis of the Service Contract that the Province of Venice has entered with the Tourism Promotion Agency of Bibione and Caorle, which implies the adoption of an IAT Chart of Services. The present Chart is the first one and it is valid throughout the year All the standards of continuity, of regular supply and swift service are to be considered valid in normal conditions of performance, which excludes extraordinary situations such as exceptional natural events or circumstances caused by a third party, direct and indirect strikes, public demonstrations or orders given by the Public Authority. The IAT Chart of Services is dependent on the approval of the following competent institutions: The Permanent Commission for Tourism in the Province of Venice, the Provincial Council and a Provincial Committee. In the year 2004 the Chart has been evaluated by the Permanent Commission for Tourism in the Province of Venice and it will be applied and tested during the current year. Edition and distribution The edition of the present Chart of Services of the IAT bureau has been produced by the Tourist Council of the Province of Venice, in collaboration with COSES (Consortium for Research and Training). The present Chart of Services has been issued in three versions, that is in an 1. unabridged version, addressed chiefly to the Provincial Council of Venice and to the APT di Bibione e Caorle s.r.l., as an integrative document for the planning, the management and the activity of the IAT service; 2. internet version, available for all kinds of users at the website containing the unabridged version. 3. abridged version, containing the main principles, a definition of which services the IAT offers, information on where to find the bureaus and the most significant indicators for the users relative to the quality of the offered services. Safeguard The control of the application of the Chart is warranted by the fact itself that it is its actual aim to regulate the relation to the users. The violation of the principles or standards may be reported directly over the phone, or indirectly, that is in written form by fax or to: URP Provincia di Venezia Ufficio Relazioni con il Pubblico, Fondamenta Zaguri San Marco, Venezia - Tel.: (+39) , Fax: (+39) urp@provincia.venezia.it Furthermore, in the various IAT bureaus you can find pre-printed forms for the forwarding of suggestions on how to improve the service. Due to the nature of the service, no reimbursements are contemplated for cases in which the fixed standards haven t been respected. The standards have been determined in order to guarantee an efficient monitoring of the quality of the supplied services, considering that a reached standard implies the user s satisfaction. 11