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Welcome to Excellence provides UK-wide approach to training in customer care
Northern Ireland is latest to sign up for new training for tourism industry
The Tourism Training Trust (TTT) in association with the Northern Ireland Tourist
Board, signed an agreement to launch its new programme of customer care training
for the tourism industry today. This means that Welcome to Excellence, a suite
of training programmes developed specifically for tourism-related businesses,
is now used throughout the UK. The launch was held at a reception at the Ulster
Folk and Transport Museum, Holywood, County Down and attended by local personality
Nuala McKeever.
Tourism South East, the new regional tourist board for South East England, has developed new
training materials and trained the specialist trainers who will deliver this UK-wide programme
in Northern Ireland. Three new training programmes are being introduced, tailored to meet the
needs of seven industry sectors. Welcome to Excellence builds on the success of the Welcome
Host programme that was first introduced to Northern Ireland in 1995. The courses are designed
to assist tourism and related businesses maximise the many benefits of quality customer service,
including higher and repeat business, favourable world of mouth recommendations and staff retention.
One of the new programmes is ‘Welcome All’, which will give guidance on providing an excellent
service to customers with disabilities and other specific needs.
Pictured signing an agreement to run the new Welcome to Excellence customer care training for the tourism industry in Northern Ireland are (left to right): Sue Gill, Tourism South East National Contracts Manager and Billy Nelson, Tourism Training Trust Chief Executive, with local comedienne Nuala McKeever looking on.
As he signed the official Agreement with Tourism South East National Contracts
Manager, Sue Gilll, Billy Nelson, TTT Chief Executive said: ‘We recognise the
need for higher standards of customer care to meet rising expectations of visitors
to Northern Ireland and in response to industry recommendations. We’re confident
that the new programmes will play an important part in helping businesses not
just to meet but to exceed increasingly sophisticated customer expectations.’
Added Sue Gill from Tourism South East, ‘We’re delighted that Northern Ireland
is embracing this new programme. Welcome to Excellence is now recognised throughout
the UK. By working with our colleagues in all the national and regional tourist
boards, we are able to provide a united approach to customer care training for
the industry. Wherever people go within the UK, they can be sure that Welcome
to Excellence is working hard to provide them with the best possible experience’.
For further information and images: Please contact Rachel Shimell/Miranda Johnson,
RM Communications, on 023 80 732981/01962 864379, email rachel.shimell@ntlworld.com or mirandajohnsonrm@hotmail.com or
Sue Gill, Tourism South East on 02380 625400.
Tourism South East Is the official tourist board for Southern and South East England
and covers the counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Dorset, Hampshire, Isle of Wight,
Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, East Sussex, Kent, Surrey and West Sussex.
The ‘Welcome to Excellence’ scheme Is an expanding series of customer service training
courses for the tourism industry delivered by the regional tourist board.
The Tourism Training Trust for Northern Ireland is the Sector Training Council for
the Tourism and Hospitality industry. Its remit is to promote quality training and career
development for all who work in the industry. TTT brings together a wide partnership of
industry trade associations, employers, the education sector and the main government agencies
involved in tourism development.
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