Tour guides get training in Spanish

Thirty tour guides have completed a four day basic Spanish course geared at improving their customer service skills.

The guides received their certificates from Head of Product Development of the Discover Dominica Authority (DDA) Kathleen Cuffy on Friday afternoon.

The training was done in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism in Argentina.

Cuffy in an address to the participants, reminded them that they should continue to train in an attempt to sharpen their skills.

“Tourism Awareness Month 2014 focuses on training and refreshing the skills of persons in the various sectors. It shows our commitment towards training and particularly ongoing training. Training is one thing but we have to continue to sharpen our skills in various areas,” she said.

According to her, tourism taxi operators have already completed a one week training in Tourism and pointed out that other frontline personnel such as vendors, customs, immigration and port security officers will also undergo training.

“As tourism service providers you provide excellent quality service to visitors and you should continue to do so hence the ongoing training. You have completed this week’s training you need to now ask yourself about the pivotal role that you play as individuals in the tourism industry,” Cuffy noted.

She explained that the role of the tour guide is one of the most important in a growing tourism industry since they interact with the visitors frequently.

“Tour guiding is becoming even more important as this industry continues to evolve many non English peaking visitors are increasingly coming to our shores and you can tell by the numbers so having participated in this course it should further propel you to seek additional training in Spanish,” she stated.

The training was facilitated through a bilateral agreement between Dominica and Argentina.