Training is key to firstclass tourism
Adventure tourism has been identified as a growth area, particularly for Argyll and this was highlighted recently by the epic 12-day adventure endured by celebrity cyclist Mark Beaumont. Argyll and the Islands is rich in many assets suited to the adventure market both on land and sea. There is an extensive network of long distance routes and trails across the region, including the Cowal Way, the Kintyre Way, The Three Lochs Way, the Sea Kayak Trail, the West Loch Lomond Cycle Path, and the John Muir Way, which starts and finishes in Argyll. There are a number of mountain biking trails and an extensive network of tracks and paths within the forests for walking, trail running and cycling, and beaches and launch points to gain access for water sports. As part of Argyll Enterprise Week, Argyll and Isles Tourism Co-operative (AITC) will be running a workshop titled, Wild About Argyll – Adventure Tourism in Argyll and The Isles. The workshop is targeted at all businesses and individuals who are already involved in the adventure market or view this as an opportunity. Getting Argyll and Bute on the map for all the right reasons is critical to the success of our tourism industry and excellent customer service can help achieve this. Led by AITC, a new initiative is under way to help Argyll become a World Host Recognised Destination, through local businesses putting at least 50 per cent of their customer facing staff through the World Host customer service training programme. Iain Jurgensen, general manager of Portavadie and chairman of the AITC training group, explains: ‘The teams going through the process will benefit as part of their learning journey, underpinning the value of great service which our ever-discerning visitors are coming to expect from all levels of the visitor experience in an ever more competitive market.’ Dunoon based Argyll Cruising has already achieved World Host accreditation, via training from Business Gateway. Jamie Duncan, shore manager explains: ‘Putting the customer first is our cornerstone. When guests come on a cruise they are with us every hour of the day whether it’s a three, four or sixnight cruise – or even longer! Our customer care skills have to be first class at all times. World Host gave us the tools to hone our skills and the confidence to put the training into practice. We are seeing the benefits with repeat bookings for 2017 already up on last year. We can attribute this, at least in part, to World Host. Carrying the respected recommendation of being World Host accredited gives first-time guests the confidence to book with us.’