NARTA is the National Accommodation, Recreation, and Tourism Accreditation Program. It has been designed to provide a comprehensive procedure for checking and providing recognition of compliance with relevant legal operational requirements and 'Good Practice'. It is an ongoing process that requires organisations to regularly review their compliance regime in line with changing community attitudes and legislative changes and undergo site assessments.

• This is accomplished through self-assessment and both desk and workplace assessments.
• NARTA Accreditation is not a process of comparison between organisations.
• NARTA Accreditation is voluntary.
• NARTA Accreditation is a national program that recognises State Legislation.

The NARTA Inc. Accreditation Package is endorsed, recommended or accepted as an appropriate accreditation methodology (at November 2015) by:

• Outdoors NSW
• Christian Venues Association
• DEECD - Victoria
• DECD, South Australia
• Department of Education Tasmania
• National Parks and Wildlife NSW
• NSW Maritime Authority
• The Salvation Army in Australia
• The Baptist Union of Australia
• Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia
• Catholic Education Office - Archdiocese of Melbourne
• Antiochian Orthodox Church

Some Education Departments do not recommend or endorse any particular accreditation bodies - they allow schools to make their own decisions. These include:

• Department of Education, Western Australia, which acknowledges “that schools would respond favourable towards those organisations that have gained NARTA accreditation”.
• NSW Department of Education.
• Department of Education, Queensland.

NARTA Ltd was established to raise the standard of the accommodation, recreation and tourism sectors that primarily deal with the outdoors and group experiences, by providing an accreditation program that allows operators to gauge their compliance with industry and public expectations. NARTA is an independent organisation with its own Board & Constitution, and it contracts Christian Venues Association to provide administrative support.

NARTA is charged with providing an accreditation program that:

• Ensures compliance with National, State and Local Government requirements for the legal and safe operation of the services provided by those undertaking accreditation.
• Is linked to the industry association involved in its development and application.
• Is accepted and implemented nationally.
• Establishes a list of requirements.
• Indicates how the requirements are to be met or that they are not required.
• Is economical to apply.
• Is acceptable to the major user groups, including State Departments of Education.