New global Gold Anchor marina rankings

A Gold Anchor Global Marina Accreditation program was launched at the famous Marine Equipment Trade Show (METS) on November 18, 2015.

The extension of the popular marina accrediation and marketing initiative is a joint venture between The Yacht Harbour Association (TYHA) and the Marina Industries Association (MIA) to bring together their respective Gold Anchor schemes.

TYHA and MIA announced the commitment to the joint scheme in November 2014. Since then the parties say they have worked collaboratively to develop the single global accreditation combining the best features of both schemes with consideration of industry changes and the increasing demands of marina customers.

Gold Anchor accreditations will be awarded to those marinas showing commitment to upholding standards of infrastructure, procedures and customer service.

Speaking at the METS launch TYHA Chairman, Sarah Hanna, said: "The work of combining the schemes is a classic example of the synergy that can be achieved by two willing parties working closely together. The resulting new scheme will provide an excellent and contemporary Global Marina Accreditation, with a clear focus on marina end users and their needs with regards to facilities, standards and services."         

The Gold Anchor Global Marina Accreditation will be progressively phased in as current Gold Anchor marinas from across 26 countries are re-audited as part of a three year rolling accreditation cycle. New entrants to the scheme will automatically be audited under the new scheme which comes into effect on April 1, 2016.

Independent expert assessors will be at the heart of the new scheme ensuring that the assessment process provides significant added value to the participating marinas, helping them to raise standards and keep pace in the ever changing marina market.

MIA President, Andrew Chapman CMM, said the launch was a very significant milestone for the global marina industry.

"The coming together of the two Associations has been driven by the goal of raising industry standards to ensure marinas across the world are financially successful and focused on the changing expectations of marina users," he said.

Further information about the Gold Anchor Global Marina Accreditation can be found at the website www.goldanchors.com.