Mourne accommodation providers gear up to provide a world-class visitor welcome

7 local accommodation providers have taken steps this week to enhance their customer service delivery in advance of the 2015 peak tourist season which will bring visitors from all over the world to Newcastle and its surrounding areas when the 2015 Irish Open comes to the Mournes this May

Meelmore Lodge, White Gate Lodge, Chances Mourne View, Mourne Heights, Kribben Cottage, Hollybush house, Chestnutt Holiday Parks and Kilkeel Development Association all took part in a drive to increase the number of local businesses achieving WorldHost recognition for customer service excellence across the Mournes Destination

The WorldHost customer service training programme, funded by Department for Employment and Learning and delivered by accredited WorldHost Customer Service Trainer Christine Watson, who grew up in the Mournes, has been rolled out in Northern Ireland by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board in partnership with  the sector skills council, People 1st and successfully completed by over 14,000 participants who work in local service organisations.

The internationally renowned WorldHost Programme helps businesses gain a competitive advantage by enhancing customer service skills. All the participating Mourne businesses will now apply to join the elite of over 600 local WorldHost businesses recognised for excellence in customer service.

Chartered marketer Christine Watson founder of Watson and Co. Chartered Marketing who deliver the internationally renowned WorldHost customer service and ambassador training following its formal launch by Ministers’ Arlene Foster and Stephen Farry 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 touch point is an essential element of business. WorldHost is supported until end March 2015 by a generous funding package from Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) which reduces the cost by 89% to just £20 per participant for eligible NI businesses with less than 250 employees.

“Our local 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 positive lasting impressions and encouraging repeat visits and priceless word of mouth endorsement of the Mournes as a must visit or top tourist destination.”

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 was also 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 for the European Union via Noribic’s Evolution programme.

Originally from Newcastle, Christine’s career included bringing hundreds of thousands of retail tourists into the Mournes area.  Christine is accredited to offer WorldHost training in Co Down, Belfast, England, Scotland and Wales. The next WorldHost course for tourism related businesses in the Mournes Destination by watsonsmarketing.com is scheduled for Banbridge on 19 and 26 February.  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 info@watsonsmarketing.com

The two Ambassador tours in the Mournes, a designated area of outstanding natural beauty, enjoyed by the local WorldHost participants, as part of the WorldHost Ambassador Awareness familiarisation exercise included Magic Hill at Spelga Dam, Ziplining in Mourne Park, courtesy of East Coast Adventure, Cloughmore Stone, Rostrevor, Harbour Inn, Annalong, the newly refurbished Annalong Cornmill, Life Adventure, Castlewellan Forest Park, Soak Seaweed Baths, Newcastle, Meelmore Lodge, Bryansford, Café Crème, Quinn’s Bar, the Nautilus Centre, Kilkeel and the Visitor Information Centres at Kilkeel Harbour and in Newcastle Centre.