Today’s tourist wants to participate in the design of their travel experience. They look for authentic experimentation original discovery and individual improvement through learning. Industrial tourism can offer them unique experiences combining knowledge, senses and emotions, like investigating how a research lab operates, admiring the work of a professional glass blower or peaking behind the scenes of a brewery.
Industrial tourism activities can focus on a product, process or historical adventure. They are already popular in the food sector, but are emerging in others like transportation (airports, ports, metro), energy (wind farms, power plants), automotive, textiles, recycling plants, sewage treatment and even administration (police stations, post office).
So what does ISO 13810 do?
Whether you are a private company or a local authority managing an industrial heritage site, and you would like to set up visitor tours to promote your company or your site, ISO 13810 will help you do just that. The standard offers guidelines, and highlights important points you must take into account when receiving visitors. It will help tour operators, whether just starting or experienced, to enhance the quality of their services and ensure customer satisfaction.
ISO 13810 was developed because although there is a clear interest in this kind of activities, many companies don’t have any experience in offering their products and services to the tourism market, and very few guides are available. The standard will make it easier for companies and public authorities to open up for industrial tourism, so that visitors can profit from a growing choice of professional offers
Businesses who open up for tourism will also benefit from increased promotion, the opportunity to showcase their brand and to reward customers with a unique experience. These activities will also diversify their core business and generate added value to their products. It is also a way target new customers and get feedback on their products. Opening up helps businesses to share know-how and increase transparency. Indirectly it also increases employee satisfaction and pride from the recognition of their work.
Industrial heritage sites also bring a number of benefits. They promote the identity and culture of a destination, strengthen a sense of belonging to the locals, contribute to economic revitalization and help preserve and restore local or regional patrimony.
The Secretariat of the ISO committee that developed the standard (ISO/TC 228) is managed jointly by AENOR, the Spanish ISO member and INNORPI, the ISO member for Tunisia. ISO 13810 can be bought from your national ISO member or through the ISO Store.
