240 participants
Tuesday and Wednesday 240 people convened at the Bay Gardens Hotel for customer service training by Claudine Pohl, international business development manager, Aquila Center for Cruise Excellence.
The training exercise catered to 120 participants each day and was facilitated by the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association Customer Service and Frontline Training Initiative.
Aquila's Center for Cruise Excellence offers training programs for Tour Operator Excellence, Tour Guide Excellence and Port Excellence, all tailored to cruise destinations wishing to improve services.
Pohl leads Aquila's International Tour Guide Excellence Certification Program, ACE Tour Operator Designation and FCCA Customer Service and Front-Line Training.
The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority called excellent customer service an 'essential aspect of our tourism product,' adding that in an effort to ensure best practices are adopted, evaluations will be carried out following the training.
2018 cruise record
A record 760,306 cruisers visited the island during the 2018 calendar year, owing to an expansion of Berth #1 at Pointe Seraphine, which allowed Port Castries to accommodate Vista-, Quantum- and Freedom-class vessels. With 2019 projected to be an even greater year for the cruise sector, the aim is to ensure that onshore visitor services deliver to international standards.
