Rochdale Tourist Information Centre is one of the best

Touchstones

Rochdale Tourist Information Centre has been recognised as one the best in the UK when it comes to visitor satisfaction. Visit England, the organisation responsible for tourism in England, rated Rochdale’s centre the best in Greater Manchester, and ranked it 22nd out of over 300 Tourist Information Centres nationwide.

The Centre, based in the Touchstones Arts and Heritage Centre on the Esplanade received a Grade 1 rating with an overall score of 88%.

Visit England's annual ‘mystery shopping’ test looked at all aspects of the visitor experience including pre-visit information, external appearance, including signage, first impressions, quality of service and customer care, in addition to the quality of the information offered. The assessment process is undertaken by an anonymous personal visit, telephone calls and emails, addressing all aspects of customer enquiries.

Visit England said staff were “knowledgeable and friendly, welcoming the visitor with a true pride. Inexpensive days out were pointed out, and all the information was given in an enthusiastic manner. They certainly exceeded expectations and should be congratulated.”

Business Manager Gwyn Fitton said that the team aimed to promote the area in the best ways possible: "We were able to show that we are consistently providing customers with the helpful information they need. We need to be knowledgeable about the area and we constantly keep our eyes on new or changed attractions so that we can make informed suggestions to visitors. To get such a high score is an excellent achievement.”

Councillor Ted Flynn, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Leisure said: "It's very important that anyone visiting the area