DERRY-Londonderry has become the UK’s first WorldHost City.
Speaking at a ceremony to mark the accolade Employment and Learning Minster Dr Stephen Farry said the WorldHost Customer Service programme would ensure visitors had a positive experience in terms of the city’s hospitality.
“WorldHost has proven to be extremely successful across Northern Ireland with my Department’s Skills Solutions Service having funded over 7,000 individuals to receive the training, with 4,000 of those based in Derry,” he continued.
“Today I would like to take the opportunity to announce that my Department will continue to fund WorldHost training for a further three years up to 2017.
“The tourism and hospitality sector is extremely challenging. It plays an important role in the economic well-being of Northern Ireland, which is why I have made it a priority sector for development.
“In order to grow our local economy, I would encourage employers to recognise the importance of upskilling and reskilling their staff and staff to seize the opportunity to add to their skills base through programmes such as WorldHost.”
WorldHost is an internationally recognised customer service qualification that sector skills council, People 1st, runs in partnership with the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB).
WorldHost City status is achieved when 25% of all businesses regarded as customer facing within the tourism, hospitality, leisure, passenger transport and retail sectors have at least 50% of their staff trained and achieve Business Recognition.
Derry-Londonderry Mayor Councillor Martin Reilly said: “We should be immensely proud of this accolade; being the first UK City of Culture in 2013 it is extremely fitting as we deliver our legacy plan that we now have been awarded a further accolade as first UK WorldHost city in 2014.
“Thanks must go to the determination of the local businesses who have embraced the unique programme and whose commitment to offering high standards of customer care have been awarded by receipt, of not only an industry recognised qualification, but the knowledge that they reached this achievement in developing the city as a world class destination.”