It's official - Beverley Races is a sure bet for a great day out!
Thu 31st January 2019
Beverley Racecourse has been announced as one of the top racecourses to visit in England and Wales.
The accolade comes from national tourism agency VisitEngland as part of the Racecourse Association’s (RCA) Quality Assured Racecourse Scheme.
Under the scheme, each racecourse is visited by a trained assessor from VisitEngland whose job is to assess objectively the raceday experience. This assessment includes all customer touchpoints during racedays and also pre and post event information.
VisitEngland, which is responsible for all assessments in England and Wales, has named Beverley in the top 11 racecourses for raceday experience in 2018 alongside the likes of Aintree, Ascot, Cheltenham and Chester and fellow Yorkshire courses York and Ripon.
The benchmark score to be included in this prestigious company was 88%, with Beverley scoring an impressive 90%. Beverley is also one of only three smaller courses to achieve the top ranking.
In addition, Beverley claimed two RCA Excellence Accolades, which are presented to racecourses that achieve exemplary scores in specific areas of the assessments. The accolades for the Beverley course were for Staff Customer Service and “Lovely Loos”.
Sally Iggulden, Chief Executive of Beverley Racecourse, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be named in the top 11 racecourses for raceday experience by VisitEngland.
“To be ranked alongside courses such as Ascot, Aintree and Cheltenham is a huge honour for us and a tribute to our staff and partners who contribute to making a day at Beverley Races a fantastic experience.
“We’re always striving to improve every aspect of our racedays and to raise the bar with new initiatives and innovations, so it’s great that these efforts have been recognised once again.
“We’ve got a great season ahead, with our opening meeting on April 17, and we’re looking forward to making a visit to Beverley Racecourse an even more enjoyable experience in 2019.”
In 2018 the Quality Assured Racecourse Scheme once again saw all British racecourses accredited as “good” or better as average scores increased by 3% to 83%. This score is the highest on record for the scheme, demonstrating the continued investment in raceday experience by British racecourses.
Paul Swain, RCA’s Brand & Experience Manager, said: “The Quality Assured Racecourse Scheme is a much-valued offering from the RCA in that it provides an expert, objective assessment of the raceday experience. More importantly, the feedback and evidence generated help racecourses to improve this year on year, which I am delighted to say has been reflected in the scores.”
Andrew Stokes, VisitEngland Director, said “Our research shows that people want to visit our globally-renowned racecourses with their historical pedigree and atmospheric raceday experience.
“With racecourses dotted around England and Wales, more visitors are travelling to experience all that a raceday has to offer, boosting the local economy throughout the year.”
Last year saw Beverley awarded the Outstanding Initiative Award at the Racecourse Association (RCA) Showcase & Awards for being the first course in the UK to stage a deaf-friendly raceday.
This accolade came swiftly after Beverley Racecourse and catering partner, CGC Event Caterers, won the People’s Choice Award at the National Racecourse Catering Awards.
Beverley was also voted the Best Value Racecourse in the North in 2017 by members of the Racegoers Club, the official supporters club for British racing fans.
