Promoting the Trade

There is little doubt that the sector has an image problem and attracts negative headlines. At best, it is seen as the sleazy side of the hospitality industry, offering poor value for money and at worst of as being exploitative and operating on the margins of legality.

We all know that this is far from the truth, but left unchecked, these perceptions result in operators having difficulty in getting licenses and unnecessary and over-burdensome regulations are imposed. We cannot hope to change these perceptions individually, but collectively we can begin to educate and inform the regulators and the general public.

For this reason, we have developed a Code of Practice which all our members sign up to. This seeks to promote minimum standards of professionalism within the sector and encourage members to operate to the highest standards. The Code is being actively promoted with local authorities, the police and Ministers. We also put a lot of effort into promoting the industry with the press and other audiences.

You can download a copy of the Code of Practice here