With just three months to go until The 2010 Ryder Cup, thousands of visitor-facing tourism and hospitality staff are being offered online training on how to offer a warm Welsh welcome, thanks to a joint project by Capital Region Tourism and Visit Wales.
The bite-sized ‘Welcome to The 2010 Ryder Cup’ online programme has been produced for Capital Region Tourism by Cardiff-based video production company, Film42. The programme, which can be seen at www.croesocynnes.org, provides key information about event logistics, expected visitors and the venue. It also gives advice on how to offer a distinctive Welsh welcome and entertaining examples of customer service in a series of nine short video clips and interviews fronted by Welsh television presenter, Sian Bassett Roberts.
A face to face version of the ‘Welcome to The 2010 Ryder Cup’ training course, developed by Coleg Llandrillo on behalf of CRT, is already available through a choice of three formats – a half day course, 45 minute seminar and a 15 minute briefing. The sessions are designed to help businesses and individuals who have a role in welcoming visitors to Wales this October and beyond, offer a truly warm welsh welcome.
Alice Brown, project manager for destination development at Capital Region Tourism, explained that take up of the face to face courses had been excellent, but several larger organisations and sole traders had asked for a DVD or online version. She said: “We are keen to offer this important training programme to as many visitor facing staff as possible, through all suitable media. This new online course, which can be watched as a twenty minute video or in bite-sized chunks, makes the ‘Welcome to The 2010 Ryder Cup’ training programme accessible to all.
“We all have a role to play, however small, in ensuring visitors remember their visit to Wales in a positive light. The region stands to gain from the legacy of The 2010 Ryder Cup and we want to put Wales on the world map for the right reasons so that visitors return again and again to experience our warm Welsh welcome.”
Visit Wales ‘Croeso’ advisor, Angharad Wynne, who is featured in the film, says: “We want everyone who will be greeting Ryder Cup visitors to think about the importance of the Welsh experience to these guests. It is essential that they get a sense of being somewhere different and special, and that we offer them the chance to experience Wales for the friendly, welcoming nation it is.
The online ‘Welcome to The 2010 Ryder Cup’ training course and a range of learning resources can be viewed at www.croesocynnes.org. Alternatively, the course is available on a DVD or in one of the three face-to-face formats by contacting Capital Region Tourism on 07811 686765, or email [email protected].
