21 January 2010
Carlisle Tourism businesses urged to
come forward
Staff working in the tourism industry across the
Carlisle area are being urged to get involved in a new series of
specialist courses to help impress their visitors.
Five special “Welcome to Carlisle
courses” will take place between January and April for staff
working in hotels, shops, guesthouses, B&Bs and tourist
attractions.
The cut-price courses are suitable for anyone
who deals with the public in Carlisle, including those who work in
retail or leisure.
Making visitors feel welcome is vital in
today’s tourism industry and increases the chances of visitors
coming back or recommending the area.
The first course takes place at the Warwick
Mill Business Centre on Wednesday January 27th. The next
is at Tullie House on Thursday February 11th, the third
at Warwick Mill on Tuesday March 2nd and the last two on
Tuesday 16th March and Tuesday 13th April at
Tullie House. All of the courses take place between 10am and 4.30pm
and the cost to participating businesses has been subsidised by the
Carlisle Tourism Partnership to bring the price down per delegate
to just £10.
The courses cover Carlisle’s history and
heritage, visitor attractions, geography, events, festivals, as
well as local services and facilities. They are being delivered by
Cumbria Tourism and the Northwest Regional Development Agency.
Marie Whitehead, Director of the
Carlisle Tourism Partnership, said: “You only get one
chance to make a good first impression and I’d like to see Carlisle
give the best customer service in the county. It’s not just about
being polite but about being an ambassador for the area so if
you’re asked a question you can answer it and help people. If you
get it right, you can make the world of difference to someone’s
time here and encourage them to advocate your business to their
friends and family. Everyone knows what it’s like to experience bad
service or unhelpful staff and the memory stays with you. These
courses are about making sure that visitors get a flawless
impression of Carlisle and its businesses.”
To book a place on the course, email jhumphreys@cumbriatourism.org
or call Jan Humphreys on 01539 825048.
The partnership aims to increase
tourism by 10% between now and 2012 creating and sustaining 200
jobs and a generating around £12 million for the Carlisle area
economy. The partnership was established in a link-up between
Cumbria Tourism, Carlisle Renaissance, Carlisle City Council and
Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Limited.