Local tour operators better equipped
By D Joyette Mills-Ward
Business Reporter-SKNVibes.com
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L-R Errington Fyfield - Manager Trainee Kantours Destination Management, Jason Gaffney-Vice President, Alaska Mountain Guides & Climbing School Inc, Mrs Blondelle Browne - Operations Assistant Kantours
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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – SOME 23 individuals in St. Kitts and Nevis are now better equipped to deal with various situations, including panic and legal repercussions, relating to the tourism industry.
The opportunity was presented to the individuals at a two-day Adventure Tours Training Seminar hosted at the Geitz Conference Center, Frigate Bay Beach Resort and facilitated by Jason Gaffney, Vice President of Alaska Mountain Guides and Climbing School, Inc.
The seminar, which began on Monday and ended yesterday, was initiated through a suggestion by Carnival Cruise Lines, for which Kantours are the travel agents here on St. Kitts.
It was revealed by a Kantours representative that the Carnival Cruise Lines would be making calls to the Federation during the off-peak season [summer], and the seminar was intended to put local tour operators into a state of readiness for any eventuality which may occur during the actual execution of the tours.
The seminar was also aimed at assisting local tour operators to structure guest expectations, control panic situations and protect themselves from any legal repercussions should anything go awry.
Sixteen tour operators registered for the seminar but 23 representatives were in attendance, as some of the larger established
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Participants listening attentively to the facilitator
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operators were able to expose more than one member of staff to the training.
SKNVibes learned that the seminar was partly subsidised by the St. Kitts Tourism Authority, which was also represented at the event.
Gaffney was personally recommended by Carnival Cruise Lines for his level of expertise to conduct the seminar.
Gaffney, an Engineering Geologist, has been with the International Wilderness Leadership School for about five years and is a certified High Altitude Mountaineering Guide.
The training took the format of power point slides, followed by role play situations, so that participants could get the real-life feel of panic and/or life-and-death situations which may, from time to time, occur during their daily operations.
~~Adz:Left~~ The representative from Oualie Beach Resort, who was also the only representative from Nevis, told SKNVibes that the seminar was timely and very informative. She revealed that her day-to-day activities put her in contact with many guests and tour operators, and her intention was to learn as much as she possibly could in order to pass on that knowledge to her colleagues and partners when she gets back to work at the Activities Desk at Oualie Beach Resort.
Owner and manager of Kriss Tours, Vandell Berry, revealed that was the first seminar of its kind he had attended in his 28 years of business.
He welcomed the knowledge and applauded the initiative of Kantours and, by extension, the St. Kitts Tourism Authority and Carnival Cruise Lines in organising and executing the first ever Adventure Tours Training Seminar in the Federation.
