Yorkshire’s Grand Départ was widely acknowledged as the grandest of Grand Départs ever! Some of the success has to be attributed to the businesses who went the extra mile and embraced the event by decorating their premises, organising French themed menus and offering the warmest of welcomes to millions of visitors.
The Grand Départ of the Tour de France being hosted in Yorkshire offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to showcase all that the County had to offer including the amazing hospitality. Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, wanted to make sure that everyone offered a warm Yorkshire welcome to make visitor stays memorable and encourage them to return time and time again.
Welcome Host Gold
As part of their overall welcome strategy for the Grand Départ, Welcome to Yorkshire selected Welcome Host Gold customer service training programme, because they needed a robust and industry recognised customer service course that was flexible enough to adapt to be relevant for the many different types of businesses within the Yorkshire visitor economy, but also to include specific requirements of the Grand Départ. In addition Welcome to Yorkshire secured funding from the Skills Enhancement Fund via Calderdale College so that those attending courses were able to access a 70% subsidy.
One of the main functions of Welcome to Yorkshire is to grow the County’s visitor economy. The Welcome Host Gold training programme was a perfect fit with the destination tourism strategy to raise standards of service and ensure Yorkshire not only offered the warmest of welcomes, but also had an understanding of the specific needs and expectations of the millions that visited over the Grand Départ weekend and beyond.
Proud to be Yorkshire
There is a huge emphasis in Welcome Host Gold on the importance of promoting everything local as well as providing information on things to do in the area. This dovetailed perfectly with the visitor economy strategy because it underlined that visitors need to take away lasting memories to encourage repeat visits and to share with friends and family.
Gary Verity says: “The Grand Départ of the Tour de France being hosted in Yorkshire was a unique opportunity to showcase all that the county has to offer, including our amazing hospitality. It is important that we offer a warm Yorkshire welcome to make visitors stays memorable and encourage them to return time and time again. Welcome Host Gold has been an important part of this as it highlights the key aspects of the quality of the visitor experience, giving very practical tips and encourages a real sense of pride in what we have to offer in Yorkshire.”
Ambassadors speak for themselves
‘I learned so much I can put into practice immediately.’
‘Made me aware of how I can improve my communication with guests.’
'Positive, relaxed, enjoyable.’
‘Interesting and I learnt so much.’
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