Plett Tourism is working with the Francois Ferreira Academy, a cookery school based in George, and Skål International Garden Route, to bring a Tourism Ambassador Course to Plett.
- Applicant Interviews: 12 March at 10h00 at Bitou Municipality
- Course: 19, 20 and 22 March, from 08h00 to 16h00. Venue to be advised.
- Cost: FREE
The three-day course is aimed at staff employed in shops, hotels, petrol stations, restaurants and other relevant tourism-based products, activities and services, to enable them to assist with information about Plett.
The importance of employee training and development in hospitality can’t be overstated, because every job ultimately aims for guest satisfaction… to illustrate this point, take a look at this Tourism Value Chain animation. This is a great opportunity for you to educate and motivate select members of your team with a locally recognised Tourism Ambassador Training course.
It will be run by Debbie Thomas, a lecturer at the Academy, and will cover the following:
- The Travel and Tourism Industry in general
- South African Food Heritage, with an emphasis on local foods and dishes
- General knowledge such as animals and birds in the area
- Garden Route attractions, natural, manmade and cultural
- Plett attractions
- Plett festivals
- Plett restaurants, location and types of food
- Plett hotels and accommodation establishments, location, price bracket and types of accommodation
- Customer service
- A 4-hour tour of some of Plett’s attractions
The normal cost of the course is R1,000 per person but, thanks to sponsorship from Skål, the fees have been waived and the course will be FREE.
All applicants will be interviewed on 12 March at 10:00 at the Bitou Municipality and 17 will be selected for the course, which will take place on 19, 20 and 22 March. Venue to be advised.
The trainees should already be employed as they will not receive a salary for being an ambassador although, where relevant, they may receive tips from visitors they have assisted with information. The daily programme will include a light lunch and tea and coffee.
The students will be required to write a short test on completion of the course, in order to receive a certificate from the Francois Ferreira Academy. They will also be required to do a one day refresher course every six months to keep them up to date with changes, new attractions and so on. This one day refresher course will cost R300.
On successfully completing the course, participants will be given a Plett Ambassador badge with the Plett Tourism logo, and a sticker for the establishment they work for, to say that they belong to the Tourism Ambassador Programme.
The course will be introduced to towns and cities across the Garden Route. Manager of Plett Tourism, Cindy Wilson-Trollip said that Plett Tourism is very pleased to support a programme which encourages locals to be well-informed Plett Ambassadors.
“Tourism is the core business of our town, and everybody contributes to this vital industry,” she said. “The more knowledge and training we have, the better service we can provide to our visitors, the more we can ensure they come back to Plett.”
How To Register
To register potential applicants for the course you should contact Thandeka at the Francois Ferreira Academy on 044 884 0765, or click on the link below for online registrations.
Apply Online Now
Enter your details below to submit your application for the FREE Tourism Ambassador Course for Plett.
