Become a Dorset Ambassador!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Become a Dorset Ambassador!

A free, new online training programme has been launched this month [November] for all visitor-facing staff in Dorset. www.dorsetambassador.co.uk is packed with information on the county, designed to raise understanding of everything Dorset offers holidaymakers.

Created by the National Coastal Tourism Academy (NCTA), www.dorsetambassador.co.uk covers the entire county, from Christchurch in the East to Lyme Regis in the West, Shaftesbury in the North to Portland on the South coast. It also features top tips on providing excellent customer care.

“Dorset is one of the most beautiful counties in England, attracting millions of visitors every year. This new online course will make it easier for everyone who interacts with visitors to stay up to speed with latest news - attractions, events and festivals,” said Bruce Grant-Braham, Tourism Representative of the Dorset LEP and board member of the NCTA.

“While most tourism staff know their particular area well, the course offers plenty of ideas for further exploration. And because employees are so busy, it’s flexible - it can be dipped into whenever there’s spare time.

“The aim is to help everyone who interacts with tourists to know their destination well, to encourage visitors to return and help boost the tourism economy.”

Dorset is a magnet for tourists, lined with bustling seaside resorts, thatched-cottage villages, historic county towns and rolling farmland, and fringed by the Jurassic Coast, England’s first natural World Heritage Site.

Each course module highlights the area’s attractions, history, activities and sports and ends with a short fun quiz. On completion participants can download a personalised certificate.

The www.dorsetambassador.co.uk follows lincolnshireambassador.co.uk and the highly successful bournemouthambassador.co.uk course which has been completed by more than 2,000 hospitality staff and students.

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For further information, please contact Sheron Crossman, NCTA Marketing and Communications Manager, Sheron.crossman@coastaltourismacademy.co.uk or tel: 01202 962565.

Notes to editors: The National Coastal Tourism Academy is a Coastal Communities Fund project that analyses the nature of coastal tourism to help boost jobs and the coastal tourism economy. It works with academia and the tourism industry to bridge gaps in research, visitor experience, training and skills. Having worked initially in Bournemouth with the local tourism industry and Bournemouth University, the NCTA is now working with coastal resorts nationally.