Quality is a concept that cuts across the various subsectors of tourism and is increasingly relevant, distinctive and a promoter of competitiveness.
The concept of quality has been widely debated and there are several approaches for its application. In tourism management, this objective aims to ensure that tourism services and products provided meet or exceed tourists' expectations. In increasingly competitive markets, the concern with service quality has grown significantly.
The importance of this issue has justified the development of initiatives to promote quality in tourism, namely through the definition of quality benchmarks for destinations, products, organisations, and tourist services.
Instituto Português da Qualidade - IPQ (Portuguese Quality Institute) is the National Standardisation Body (NSB) and coordinator of the Portuguese Quality System (ISQ). As such, it has recognised Turismo de Portugal as a Sectoral Standardisation Body in the field of tourism services, with the aim of helping to position Portugal as a destination of excellence. The Technical Commission for Standardisation in Tourism - TC 144 was therefore created, managed by Turismo de Portugal, whose mission is to define quality benchmarks for tourism activities in the field of services.
