Kate Payne, an independent international assessor, is on island to commence on-site assessments of businesses for the Cook Islands Quality Assured(CIQA) programme. This is the second part of the assessment process for applicants, the first part being an internal assessment by Cook Islands Tourism.

Kate will spend two weeks in the Cook Islands, including a day and a half in Aitutaki.

The assessment process is rigorous, but it is designed to be supportive and collaborative. Kate's goal is to help businesses succeed, and her assessment will focus on identifying areas where they can improve their customer experience, quality, and safety.

Once a business has successfully completed their assessment, it will be awarded full accreditation. This means that the business has met high standards of quality and service.

In addition to the many other benefits of becoming accredited, businesses will also receive access to Cook Islands Tourism’s new initiative the Business Support Programme. This programme aims to help businesses grow and succeed by offering exclusive training and workshops designed to improve skills and knowledge in a range of areas, including customer service, marketing, digital marketing etc.

If you are a business owner in the Cook Islands, we encourage you to consider becoming Cook Islands Quality Assured. It is simple and free to do so. Apply here

Background

The CIQA programme is a voluntary accreditation scheme that helps businesses in the Cook Islands meet minimum standards of quality and service. Businesses that achieve CIQA accreditation demonstrate to their customers that they are committed to providing a high-quality tourism experience.

The CIQA programme was suspended in 2020 due to the pandemic. In 2021, the Cook Islands Tourism Industry Council handed over the management of the programme to Cook Islands Tourism. In 2022, CI Tourism refreshed the programme then relaunched it in January 2023. The aim of the programme is to get businesses to recommit to providing exceptional service as part of the recovery of tourism in the Cook Islands.