About BAHA

The British Activity Holiday Association is the trade association for private sector providers of activity holidays and courses in the UK. Member centres have all agreed to abide by the BAHA Code of Practice and are committed to high standards of safety, value for money and customer service.

The BAHA Mission Statement is "Striving for Quality and Safety in the Activity Industry" by:-

• Adopting appropriate safety standards
• Opening centres to independent inspection
• Promoting a commitment to ongoing staff training
• Sharing pertinent information with members
• Representation on appropriate national bodies
• Acting as the voice of the private activity sector

Background to the Association

The British Activity Holiday Association was formed in February 1986 by operators intent on setting good standards of practice within the industry, in the absence of any specific legislation. Representatives from established activity holiday companies formed a steering committee, chaired by the Sports Council, and spent several months drafting a Code of Practice and Constitution. The English Tourist Board invited activity operators to two open meetings after which the Association was launched. An inspection scheme of members' sites was introduced in 1989 and an independent Secretariat was established in 1991.

During 1993 the Association completed a revision of its Code of Practice and inspection scheme, giving due regard to the documents produced by the United Kingdom Activity Centre Advisory Committee, the Wales Tourist Board and the EU Package Travel Directive for the UK Travel Industry. Further revisions have taken place since to accommodate the Adventure Activities Licensing Regulations 1996 (Activity Centres Act) and other developments.