ABERDEEN has successfully retained its Purple Flag accreditation for the eighth year in a row.
Led by Aberdeen Inspired, the BID (Business Improvement District), the standard requires excellence in the management of the Granite City’s evening and night-time offering as well as in the safety and wellbeing of visitors and citizens.
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Aberdeen was the first city in Scotland to be awarded the accreditation, managed by the Association of Town and City Management (ATCM), in 2014 and is held up as an example UK-wide, having been re-accredited every year since then.
Members of the Purple Flag panel were highly impressed with the city’s business resilience and COVID recovery strategy, cited as “a great example of best practice through very different and difficult times”.
Among the highlights singled out for praise were the Aberdeen Christmas Market, which attracted footfall of 25,000 to the Bon Accord centre over the festive period; phase 1 completion of the City Centre Masterplan; the city’s Business Resilience Group; and Aberdeen City Council’s socio–economic rescue plan.
While restrictions were in place for the evening and night-time economy for the majority of 2020, ongoing strong partnership working was cited as “instrumental during these very difficult and challenging times” in the judges’ feedback, as well as the innovation shown by the hospitality and retail sector towards restoring consumer confidence within the city centre.
This included the formation of the Aberdeen Hospitality Together forum last year, which agreed a 10-step assurance scheme. These steps included a joint commitment to having strong queue management systems in placewith physical distancing and crowd control measures when premises were allowed to open. More than 130 hospitality businesses in Aberdeen joined forces to create the forum.
Adrian Watson, Aberdeen Inspired chief executive, said: “2020 was a year unlike any other, and never has safety and wellbeing been foremost in everyone’s mind, as well as the need to focus efforts on resilience and supporting businesses to survive and recover from the ongoing challenges caused by the pandemic.
“The awarding of the Purple Flag for the eighth year in a row is testament to the combined efforts of all the partners, including Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeen Hospitality Together, to support our city centre. We were heartened to see this strong partnership approach recognised by the judges as an exemplar.
“We hope the Purple Flag accreditation will help to reassure consumers and encourage them back into our cafes, bars, restaurants, shops and leisure facilities once restrictions are eased.”
