The Hon'ble Chief Minister, Himachal Pradesh Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal who is also the Chairman of H.P. Tourism Development Corporation Limited (HPTDC) received the Certificates of Registration-Quality Management System-ISO 9001:2008 awarded by the BSI Management Systems(United Kingdom) in respect of Hotel Holiday Home and Goofa-Ashiana, Shimla. The Certificates were presented by the CEO of Corporate Certifications and Services, Indore on behalf of the British Standards Institute(BSI) today on 30th August, 2010. With this, both the Units of the Corporation have joined the Elite Group of Global ISO Certified Hotels.

The Hon'ble Chief Minister informed that HPTDC is the second Tourism Corporation in India which has attempted successfully to have its Units ISO Certificate. Before this, the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation is the only other Govt. PSU in tourism sector which has done this. With this Certification, both the HPTDC Units will not only get the global recognition but will also convey a message across the globe about the best management practices being followed for ensuring tourist attraction. This has been disclosed by Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal, Hon'ble Chief Minister, Himachal Pradesh, who is also the Chairman of the Tourism Corporation.

He further said that The International Standardization Organisation (ISO) - based at Geneva, Switzerland is a globally recognized International Management System framework focusing upon consistency, reliability and improving the way the business operates. ISO Certification is a mark of excellence that demonstrates that the Hotel has necessary skills and knowledge to assure quality services, he added. He bestowed the credit for achievement of this ISO certification to the management of the Corporation and its employees.

Prof. Dhumal said that the Tourism Corporation is not only a business generating entity but is also the "hospitable face" of the State. The HPTDC is a pioneer in the development of tourism infrastructure in Himachal. It provides a complete package of tourism services, including accommodation, catering, transport, conferencing and sports activities having the largest chain of finest hotels and restaurants in the State with 57 hotels having 1051 rooms with 2256 beds including 60 restaurants and cafes.

Mr. Subhasish Panda, MD, HPTDC said that the four major constituents of this development were: (1) Improving operations (2) Improving the efficiency of the maintenance & house-keeping functions (3) Improving check-in, check -out process & (4) Practices aimed at implementing & maintaining quality standards and both the HPTDC Units have set the same for themselves. The ISO process has comprehensively reviewed the Hotel's management system and new efficient procedures have been introduced, he further added.

Sh. Subhasish Panda, Managing Director, HPTDC assured that the Corporation is doing its best efforts to provide secure and trustworthy services to the tourists visiting the State. In view of the standard of the services the Corporation is rendering it will be able to procure such ISO Certifications for more if its Units in the near future.