Churches Tourism Association

Joanna Booth has recently been appointed as the first Development Officer for the North West Multi Faith Tourism Association, a post that is being jointly funded by English Heritage and the North West Regional Development Agency.

The North West Multi Faith Tourism Association works with those who have the care of Churches, Mosques, Gurdwaras, Synagogues and other Faith Centres in helping them be open and to offer a degree of welcome and shared understanding to the visitor. The aim of the Association is to make a significant contribution to faith tourism through the creation of a network of Sacred Sites across the entire North West region, and the main vehicle for this is the Marque of Excellence.

The Marque of Excellence is awarded to those sacred worship spaces that are not only open but surpass a standard of excellence in welcoming visitors. These sacred sites work hard to share their religious and cultural heritage and collections (e.g. of sacred texts and artefacts) with community members and visitors alike and are not only sacred to those who worship in them but are also buildings which hold a variety of stories about their communities.

The Marque of Excellence is a high quality stainless steel plaque that was designed by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. A site that has been awarded the Marque of Excellence and displays the plaque at the entrance to their building guarantees that the visitor will not only be assured of an exceptional level of welcome and hospitality but can also expect a high quality experience in terms of the overall interpretation of the site.

In order to satisfy this expectation of quality, a site that wishes to apply for the Marque of Excellence must be able to demonstrate that they meet or surpass the required standard in a range of key areas.

For further information Joanna can be contacted at:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it