MIAMI (October 29, 2018) – Recognizing the changing dynamics in the global tourism industry and the imperative to meet customers’ needs and expectations, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association Education Foundation (CHTAEF) and Virgin Holidays completed the first of a new series of hospitality training programs focused on diversity in Barbados last week.
A new three-year agreement expanded the 13-year partnership between CHTAEF and Virgin Holidays to enable more Caribbean hospitality workers to attend one-day training initiatives focused on tolerance and diversity in their home countries.
In support of this initiative, CHTAEF Chairman Karolin Troubetzkoy said: “The training takes into account changing demographics of today’s travelers and will help our team members achieve their goals of providing superior customer service to all visitors to our region.”
Interactive days of learning provide employees with the tools to assist them receive guests with care, professionalism and tolerance. The first training included nearly 130 hospitality professionals and students who received their certificates at a ceremony on Tuesday, October 23.
The training grew out of Virgin Holidays’ 2016 commitment to become one of the most tolerant and welcoming brands in travel and CHTAEF’s decades-long goal to support and foster the professionalism and training of Caribbean nationals in the hospitality industry.
Strong praise for the training program came from Barbados’ Minister for Tourism and International Transport, Kerrie Symmonds; Caroline Gallichan-Hurley, Manager – Caribbean and Mexico for Virgin Holidays, and Lynette Francis Thornhill, a tutor with The Barbados Community College’s Hospitality Institute.
CHTAEF will be rolling out several more training sessions, the next of which (focused on housekeeping) will be held in Aruba in early December.
About CHTA Education Foundation
The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association Education Foundation (CHTAEF) was established 30 years ago as a stand-alone 501(c)3 nonprofit, tax-exempt organization, through which scholarships and special assistance are available for the education of Caribbean hotel industry personnel and students pursuing careers in hospitality and tourism. The Education Foundation
