- Virgin Holidays builds on 2018 Pilot Program to promote greater equality across the Caribbean
- Training Program demonstrates and enhances the benefits of diversity and inclusion to the tourism industry
Miami & London, March 28th: Virgin Holidays continues its partnership with the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association Education Foundation (CHTA Education Foundation) by building on the Barbados 2018 sell-out success of hotel employee and tourism students training to understand the breadth of diversity of travellers and how to engage and warmly welcome them all.
CHTA Education Foundation will again deliver training Development Days for accommodation providers and tourism partners May 20 & 21, and students on May 18; they expect at least 100 individuals will benefit, so bolstering the over 200 people across resorts & The Hospitality Training Institute who participated last year.
Registration is open from 5th until 19th April, details https://caribbeanhotelandtourism.com/about-the-foundation/training/ or louisevirginholidays@gmail.com
At the launch of the pilot last year, Barbados Minister for Tourism & International Transportation, Hon. Kerrie Symmonds commented “It is s very important Barbados stands up and says to the rest of the world that all are welcomed, and none will be discriminated against, because the whole world has a right to enjoy tourism, hassle-free.”
Karolin Troubetzkoy, CHTA Education Foundation Chairperson, stated: “The Education Foundation was delighted with the sell-out response to the Barbados pilot project last year and we are looking forward to a repeat in May! We know the Development Day benefits a wide range of hospitality and tourism professionals.” She added that the training will highlight the changing demographics of today’s traveller and will help tourism stakeholders provide superior customer service regardless of the age, race, sexual orientation, religion or ability of visitors to the Caribbean.
Joe Thompson, Managing Director of Virgin Holidays, commented: “We believe that Everyone Can Take on The World. To bring this to life we want everyone to enjoy our holidays in Barbados regardless of their age, race, sexual orientation, or religion. And we’re passionate about helping single parents and travellers with disabilities – physical, mental or hidden – to enjoy the same opportunities as our able-bodied customers”.
Virgin Holidays has been promoting its Brilliant Barbados holiday program since the 1980s. Nine Virgin Atlantic flights currently land at Grantley Adams International Airport each week, and the airline transports tens of thousands of Virgin Holidays customers to the island each year.
The association between Virgin Holidays and the Caribbean transcends the promotion of hotels and beaches – with three decades of initiatives such as sponsoring youth sports teams, offering university and training scholarships, and the establishment of the Branson Centre for Entrepreneurship in Jamaica.
In 2016, Virgin Holidays announced a three-year plan to become one of the most tolerant and welcoming brands in travel with a three-tiered programme of work aimed at delivering staff engagement, improving customer knowledge and developing a culture of understanding among its partners.
For more information please contact press.office@fly.virgin.com or call 01293 747363
About Virgin Holidays:
Virgin Holidays is the UK’s favourite worldwide holiday company. Founded in 1985 on the Virgin principles of excellent customer service, value, reliability, responsibility and a sense of fun, it has used its entrepreneurial heritage and passion for innovation to benefit customers and communities around the world. The brand is particularly known for the ‘magic touches’ it has brought to market. From the world’s first dedicated airport leisure lounges to the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship in the Caribbean, Virgin Holidays puts its customers and the communities it works with at the heart of its commitment to do things differently. In 2015, it was voted Best Large Holiday Company to the USA, Canada and the Caribbean for the fourth consecutive year at the prestigious, consumer-voted, British Travel Awards.
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 non-profit, 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 has awarded more than US$2 million in scholarships and grants to applicants who demonstrate a strong commitment to the hotel and tourism industry. For more information, visit https://caribbeanhotelandtourism.com/about-the-foundation/