Local girl Christine Watson, founder of Watson & Co. Chartered Marketing, has been appointed to offer WorldHost training in Co Down, Belfast, England, Scotland and Wales.

Launched by Ministers’ Arlene Foster and Stephen Farry, the training is planned at a critical time for the economy, as Northern Ireland prepares to host a series of world-class events in 2012 and 2013.

Chartered marketer Christine Watson founder of Watson and Co. Chartered Marketing has expanded her service offering to include internationally renowned WorldHost customer service and ambassador training following its formal launch by Ministers’ Arlene Foster and Stephen Farry.  The training is supported by a generous funding package from DEL which reduces the cost by 89% to just £20 for eligible businesses who sign up before 30 March 2012, in the tourism industry spanning hospitality leisure, retail and transport.  Originally from Newcastle, Christine built her career in Banbridge bringing hundreds of thousands of retail tourists into the area.  Christine is accredited to offer WorldHost training in Co Down, Belfast England, Scotland and Wales.

Christine said:  “It’s a very exciting time for the retail and tourism industries in Northern Ireland and delivering excellent customer service at each and every customer touchpoint is essential.  WorldHost is supported until end March 2012 by a generous funding package from DEL which reduces the cost by a staggering 89% to just £20 per participant for eligible businesses in the tourism industry in Northern Ireland.

“Our tourism industry which spans hospitality, leisure, retail and transport can capitalise on this year’s unique opportunity, to raise its profile on a worldwide stage, creating lasting impressions and encouraging repeat visits and positive word of mouth endorsement of Northern Ireland as a must visit or top tourist destination.”

The first WorldHost course for tourism related businesses in the Banbridge district is scheduled for 6th and 7th March at the Belmont Hotel.  Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis.  To register your interest or book places, email your details to cwatson@watsonsmarketing.com

With over one million people trained worldwide, WorldHost customer service training gives front-line staff a comprehensive grounding in the principles of customer service and acting as an ambassador for their local area. Originally developed in Canada and widely perceived as the global leader for customer service – WorldHost also has a track record of being used to support world-class events. The programme was used to train 39,000 tourism staff and volunteers in the run-up to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, and is also being used at London 2012 to train thousands of staff and contractors working at the Olympic and Paralympic venues.

Christine is accredited by People 1st, The Northern Ireland Tourist Board and WorldHostTM.  A professional Chartered Marketer Christine is also a Customer Service Assessor for the Centre for Competitiveness Gold Star award and an innovation agent, technical mentor and marketing expert to small businesses in NI and ROI for the EU via Noribic’s iFactory and Castlereagh Borough Council’s Evolution programmes.

Originally from Newcastle, a designated area of outstanding natural beauty, Christine’s career achievements to date include attracting hundreds of thousands of retail tourists into Banbridge from the Republic of Ireland positioning the area as a retail tourism destination.