TWENTY-three custodial staff members of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) completed another round of special training at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) on Wednesday and Thursday last.

The training programme, titled ‘Delivering Quality Service’, targeted the importance of excellence in customer service, and proper etiquette and hospitality techniques for visitor welcome.
These techniques ensure that all incoming travellers receive premier customer service that is consistent with local as well as international standards.
This programme, as well as the Hygiene and Sanitation Protocols, were both created by the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) to better equip staff to apply the concepts and solutions to challenges when engaging with incoming travellers.

The courses were taught through sessions facilitated by Mr. Marlon George, CEO of Guyana SolutionsPro; Ms. Shellon Nicholas, Marketing Officer; and Mr. Chetnauth Persaud, Training and Tourism Development Officer within the GTA.

The presentations included a series of videos, PowerPoint presentations, and real-time activities (all COVID-19 protocols observed), and were positively received by participants, a GTA press release said on Friday.

In addition to the ‘Delivering Quality Service’ and ‘Hygiene and Sanitation Protocols’ courses, participants were also coursed in ‘Understanding the Tourism Industry; ‘Defining Customer Service Excellence’; and ‘Understanding the Customer’ courses, topics that are all crucial to the tourism sector as it begins to reopen for leisure activities.

In mentioning key takeaways from the sessions, CJIA Custodian Superviser, Beverley Ramsey, echoed sentiments similar to those expressed by her team, saying: “The training was excellent, and I learnt a lot of things that I did not know. I will now be able to show and teach my staff all that I have learnt.”

The 23 persons on the just-concluded course make up the 44 who’ve been trained to date since the year began on the subject of ‘Delivering Quality Service’ and ‘Hygiene & Sanitation Protocols’.