National studies and now a study by the Department of the Aude agree, the quality of France's tourist infrastructure is not what it should be. If you judge a hotel by it's welcome, good organisation and respect and conformity to its environment then the Aude has a long way to go concluded the Chambre de Commerce in Carcassonne and Narbonne, the two largest tourist centres in the Aude.
To encourage improvements the Chambre de Commerce of Carcassonne and Narbonne have announced a "Club qualité", the objective is clear, to create a series of high targets that if reached allow a campsite or hotel to display and promote their membership of the club. At the moment they claim no hotel and only five campsites would pass the test (Have they ever been to the Best Western in La Cite I wonder?). The objective is to raise 20 hotels and a further 4 campsites to the quality required, with at least 10 of the hotels being integrated with their environments, presumably they mean in the countryside, and 4 at the economy cost level.
In return for achieving these quality levels these chosen few would feature very strongly in all the promotion of the Aude Department, at a national and international level. Equally substantial economic aid is available to assist hoteliers and campsite owners, 80% grants are available to help prepare for the Certificate, 50% of the cost of the audit will be paid for with incentives for the first candidates.
Time to contact the Chambre de commerce and fast.

Move to improve the quality of the Aude's hotels and campsites-11th April 2005 Peter Shield