Jamie Jansen

Journalist

An online training course to turn tourism and hospitality staff into tourism experts is now bearing its fruits with the first people to complete the course.

Last month Tourism Port Douglas Daintree (TPDD) launched the Be Douglas training program to turn new staff into living and breathing tourism information kiosks. 

The six module course is free for everyone and is said to take between sixty and eighty minutes to complete.

Jodi, guest service agent at Reef Resort, is the very first person to have completed the online course and said she found it very informative. 

“I got a fair bit of ‘refresher’ knowledge and I was reminded of some other things that you don’t tend to get asked on a daily basis”, she said. “I found it easy to follow with clear instructions.”

The program aims to highlight how to anticipate, meet, and exceed the needs of guest expectations, leaving them feeling positive that Douglas Shire is an extraordinary place to visit and return to.

Jodi said she would recommend the Be Douglas training course to others. “It is beneficial to all staff that have a customer service focus and particularly staff that are new to the area.”

TPDD CEO Tara Bennett said that Be Douglas has been welcomed by the tourism community with a number of accommodation and tour providers committing to their entire teams completing the training.

“By raising the bar of front-line staff destination knowledge, we will enhance the visitor experience resulting in return visitation to the region,” Ms Bennett said.

Content of the course

The content of the course draws on decades of hotel, retail and hospitality experience answering traveller questions to fast track the local knowledge bank that brings service from good to exceptional.

The lessons cover history, visitor information, customer service and safety and environmental and sustainable initiatives, drawn from decades answering travellers' most frequently asked questions.

Sign up to do the course here.