ABTA TO PROVIDE 25 SCHOLARSHIPS Thursday 2nd August 2012
The Antigua & Barbuda Tourism Authority (ABTA) is pleased to announce that it will be providing 25 scholarships for the Service Ambassador Certificate Programme at the Antigua & Barbuda Hospitality Training Institute (ABHTI). The initiative follows on from the Ministry of Tourism’s recently launched Service Excellence scheme, where the aim is to encourage individuals to embrace Service Excellence to, ‘Give it, Live it, Celebrate it’.
The Honourable John Maginley, Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation & Culture, commended both entities on their efforts to improve the tourism product. He added, “Our people are the most integral aspect of marketing our destination. The face-to-face interaction between tourists and locals still plays a significant role in promoting a destination. No matter how beautiful the beaches are, the people who live here must radiate and reflect the beauty and goodness of the island to maintain the twin-island nation’s tourism product.”
Marketing Manager of the ABTA, Charmaine Spencer noted, “The ABTA has a vested interest in empowering all Antiguans and Barbudans. Hence, we saw this as an opportunity to better equip interested persons with a tangible tool that they could take back into the community”. The ABTA recognizes that Service, more importantly, Customer Service plays a pivotal role in dealing with all visitors to our shores and this was the thought behind the initiative.
The objective is to provide persons who are actively involved, or those interested in becoming involved in the hospitality industry the opportunity to obtain a qualification through the Service Ambassador programme.
The Service Ambassador programme starts in September and runs for three weeks, every Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM at ABHTI. The three components of the programme are: Introduction to Tourism/Hospitality Industry, Know My Island and Quality Customer Care.
The criteria for eligibility for the certificate scholarship programme are as follows:
- Persons must be over 16 years of age;
- Interested in working or already working in hospitality or tourism-related area;
- Must demonstrate a genuine interest in promoting Service Excellence and excellent service;
- Complete one of the following topics in order to be considered:
1. List five attributes that a good service ambassador should exemplify. Provide five examples of excellent customer service.
2. Why is Antigua & Barbuda's tourism product important to the country?
3. What are some ways that we can make our tourism product better?
4. What makes Antigua & Barbuda a unique tourism destination? Why should visitors visit Antigua & Barbuda? Tell a visitor what attributes make Antigua & Barbuda a great place to vacation.
5. Amateur photo competition - contestants are to provide pictures that showcase the destination's tourism product, such as points-of-interest, natural beauty, culinary arts etc.
- ABTA will follow up with programme participants to examine how they have put the Service Ambassador certificate to good use.
Essays should be no more than 800-1,000 words. Interested persons who would like to be nominated for the programme and who adhere to the guidelines set out in the criteria above can forward the relevant information to the following address:
The Antigua & Barbuda Tourism Authority
Third Floor, ACB Building High Street,
St. John’s, Antigua
Or via email to: info@aandbtourism.com
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