The Rudd Government will establish a national accreditation system to weed out rogue tourism operators.

With the agreement of state and territory governments now almost certain, federal Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson wants the ratings system in place by July. He said it would ensure nationally consistent standards for toursim operators, who would be assessed by judges and awarded ratings according to the same criteria.

The system was recommended in a 2003 tourism white paper.

Mr Ferguson siad it was "important that we make sure tourists go home saying "WOW!" so that their friends, family and colleagues would choose to tour Australia.

"Although the system will be voluntary, it has to be robust and build some creative tension in the industry itself to encourage a culture of excellence."