[Travelandtourism] Interesting article......

[Peter Donahue]

Good morning Cheryl and everyone,

    I got it and will put it on the Web site. All the best.

Peter Donahue


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <STEPHANIELSCOTT at aol.com>
To: <travelandtourism at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, February 08, 2012 9:24 AM
Subject: [Travelandtourism] Interesting article......


Greetigns, I ran across this article while reading this morning.

Stephanie


Roman Baths wins tourism excellence award for offering Access for All


The South West Tourism Excellence Awards 2011/12 have praised Bath  & North
East Somerset Council's Roman Baths for the improved accessibility  it
offers all visitors.
The Romans Baths received a "Highly Commended" in the  Access for All award
section in recognition of recent development  work carried out by the
Council to improve access in a wide range of ways and  make the experience 
more
inclusive for people with a wide range of different  needs.
The award was officially presented to members of the Roman Baths  team –
Katie Smith, Iain Johnston and Susan Fox – by the Independent and TV  travel
writer Simon Calder at a prestigious awards ceremony held in Torquay's
Riviera Centre on 6 February.
There were three other winners in the Access for All category, all of  whom
are specialist providers of holiday facilities for people with special
needs. The Roman Baths was the only visitor attraction to be recognised for
introducing new access arrangements.
Councillor Cherry Beath (Lib-Dem, Combe Down), Cabinet Member for
Sustainable Development, said: "This is the first time we have put in an
application for this category and the judges commented that the competition 
was
tremendously fierce. Therefore we're delighted that the Roman Baths shone
through to be awarded Highly Commended status. It shows Bath & North East
Somerset Council's commitment to making this extremely popular visitor 
attraction
accessible and exciting for everyone to enjoy.
"Physical accessibility at the Roman Baths has improved enormously with
the installation of two new lifts and a complete change in the way visitors
can  move around the site. Understanding of the ancient monument has also
become  easier for our visitors with new displays and improved 
interpretation
throughout, and there is a wide range of visual prompts that everyone can
recognise.
"We have new interpretation for blind and visually impaired visitors  with
many tactile exhibits. There is a dedicated British Sign Language  audio
guide, an inclusive personal audio guide in eight languages, and tours for
English and French speaking children. The judges even took into account the
inclusive way that we cater for people with particular dietary needs in the
Pump  Room restaurant."
The South West Tourism Excellence Awards judging panel based its  decision
on recommendations from the category judges and mystery shoppers for  this
year's awards.
The official report highlighted a number of positive aspects of the  Roman
Baths visitor experience, including:
    *   Unique historic site of world class importance, with extensive
museum and collections. Excellent and comprehensive website with extensive
information for planning a visit, including a walk-through guide plus 
detailed
information on numerous objects in the collection.
    *   Ancient monument and Grade I Listed site containing 2,000 year old
Roman Baths with outstanding Georgian addition.
    *   Superb Pump Room Restaurant in outstanding surroundings. Food and
drink of a very high quality with evidence of local produce being used. Very
 high standard of service – chefs will provide for various dietary needs. A
 unique experience enhanced by live music.
    *   Friendly staff in and around the museum areas. Two new lifts to
allow access to lower areas of the museum. Accessible routes available 
through
 main sections of the museum and two wheelchairs available for loan.
    *   Choice of multi-lingual audio guides to enhance the visit.
Excellent  range of interpretation including pictorial, video displays, 
projections
children's audio tour, animated computer graphics and interactive
displays.
    *   Many tactile exhibits, signage and maps. Braille information and
excellent British Sign Language hand-held guide available, Personal guide
available to sign, bookable with notice.
For more information about Bath & North East Somerset Council's  Roman
Baths visit _www.romanbaths.co.uk_ (http://www.romanbaths.co.uk/)  or call 
01225
477774.
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