VAQAS – the best English Visitor attractions which have been awarded Visit England Quality Assured Visitor Attractions status
The Visit England 'Quality Assured Visitor Attractions' accreditation is one of the best markers an attraction can receive - it is a mark of quality unlike other accreditation. The Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Scheme (VAQAS) is managed by VisitEngland and, through its network of regional assessors, boasts an incredible reputation for instigating, modifying and shaping change to the customer experience at visitor attractions across England.
All of the locations we've included in this guide have been awarded this accreditation, making them one of the absolute best visitor attractions to visit in the country. Let's look at the list:
Roman Baths, Bath
The Roman Baths in Bath are one of the finest historic sites in Northern Europe, and an absolute must-visit during your time in the city. It goes with saying that these baths were awarded the VAQAS, and were actually recognised as one of the country’s top three Large Visitor Attractions at the national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence in 2017.
What has helped the baths to retain this status is their constant improvement and development without infringing on the originality of the remains - audioguides are available in many languages (including Dutch, Korean, Polish and Portuguese) and are all available free of charge for visitors. Learn more about the baths here - romanbaths.co.uk
Tamworth Castle
Tamworth Castle was officially listed as one of the best small visitor attractions in Staffordshire after achieving the Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Service accreditation. The team at the castle made new improvements to the building which helped to secure the accreditation, as did the launch of the Battle and Tribute Exhibition and the AR trail.
Assessors from Visit England always look for attractions which provide both an enjoyable and educational visitor experience, which certainly describes a trip to Tamworth Castle.
Lastly, as with any attraction which achieves this accreditation, the quality of service provided by the staff impressed the assessor, who always provide a warm welcome and are always on hand to help. Plan your trip to Tamworth Castle here - tamworthcastle.co.uk
Bennetts Water Gardens
When Bennetts Water Gardens won their VAQAS award, it was a huge relief because they'd been working towards it for so long.
As a reminder, to achieve the award all elements of the tourism experience must meet or exceed a customer's expectations, so for Bennetts Water Gardens to be recognised by VisitEngland in this way is quite remarkable. Learn more about the gardens here - bennettswatergardens.com
Hopefully, this guide has inspired you to visit some of these excellent visitor attractions in England. Let us know what your favourite visitor attraction is in the comments!
Finn H
Finn is the editor of You Well and has been writing about travel, health, and more for over 10 years.