THE Tourism Ministry and the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) have trained some 600 persons during the course of 2014 in a variety of areas such as bird watching and housekeeping. 

Minister of Tourism (ag), Irfaan Ali, alluded to the fact that 2014 had been a very successful year on many fronts, as the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce and the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) fostered closer partnerships with the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) and other private sector companies.

Through collaborative efforts, a series of events were hosted and training within the industry facilitated while Guyana as a unique destination was marketed and promoted.

LIFTING STANDARDS
In recognition of the importance of high standards within the growing industry, the GTA also partnered with several agencies to provide technical training to persons within the industry and the staff of the Product Development Department, said the GTA’s Director, Indranauth Haralsingh.
Haralsingh also noted that in 2015, increased focus will also be placed on continuing the enhancement of standards within the industry, focusing on tourism products and services; multi-destination itinerary planning, event management, eco/sustainable principles and guidelines.
At the beginning of 2014 a projected total of 500 persons were to be trained and were initially proposed. However, additional numbers were included on the training schedule and a total of 800 persons were proposed. Many companies would have requested to be included in training because of the awareness that was done by the Tourism Sector. At the end of 2014, a total of 606 persons were classroom-trained in a variety of areas.
In November, Tourism Awareness Month, the Tourism Ministry along with the GTA embarked on an initiative to educate Guyanese on the importance of Tourism.
There were special tourism presentations at the Berbice High School with a total of 55 students from Forms 5 and 6 in attendance and Abram Zuil Secondary with a total of 140 students from Forms 4 and 5 attended.

CULINARY ARTS TRAINING
Approximately seven groups attended training to enhance their skills in kitchen hygiene and safety, meal planning, methods of cooking and cooking terms, among others. A culinary arts training was also conducted during this period at the Guyana International Conference Centre which lasted for two days and saw the participation of 62 persons. The participating groups were OMG Sports Bar, Water Chris, Maharaja Palace, Upper Crust Restaurant, Gravity Lounge, Windjammer Restaurant and Bar and Antonio’s Grill.
Training was conducted in the North Rupununi, Georgetown, Linden, Essequibo, Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) and Ogle International Airport.
Training was done in the following areas: 18 persons in Bird Guide Training in Essequibo; 259 in Basic Conversational Spanish Language Training at CJIA; 21 in Boat Captain Training in Annai; 61 in Culinary Training in Essequibo and Georgetown; 71 in Customer Service Training at the Ogle International Airport and in Georgetown; 70 in First Aid/CPR Training in Rupununi and Georgetown; 39 in Front Desk and Front Office Training in Linden and Georgetown; 42 in Housekeeping Training in Linden and Georgetown; and 25 in Servers Training in Georgetown.
The Iwokrama International Centre conducted a preliminary field bird watching and basic tour guide training to support community conservation and development in the Mangrove Forests near Hope Beach and Greenfield communities on the East Coast of Demerara.
This training which was conducted at the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre, covered elements such as communication, leadership, effective management and community-based tourism.

PARK WARDENS
Frankfurt Zoological Society in collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) began a training programme at the Kaieteur National Park for tour guides and park wardens from December 3 to 11. The objective of the programme was to train local villagers from around Kaieteur National Park and to pass on the skills needed to be either a tour guide or a park warden.

(By Rebecca Ganesh-Ally)