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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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