Orkney secures WorldHost Destination status

January 19, 2018 at 4:16 pm

At a short ceremony was held at Orkney College yesterday, January 18, where Orkney was officially recognised as a Worldhost destination.The director of Scotland for People 1st, David Allen, is pictured presenting chairwoman of the Orkney Tourism Steering Group Dawn Flett with a special plaque to mark the occasion. (www.theorcadianphotos.co.uk)

Orkney has become the first island location in the UK to claim a prestigious mark of excellence in customer service.

The islands have achieved WorldHost® Recognised Destination Status after 85 local businesses took part in the training programme.

To mark the occasion a special event took place at Orkney College UHI, in Kirkwall, yesterday, Thursday.

To achieve destination status a minimum of 25 per cent of Orkney Tourism Group businesses had to have at least half of their customer-facing staff complete one of the WorldHost® customer service training programmes.

In total, more than 450 people in Orkney have now completed the training course, joining over 1 million people worldwide.

The WorldHost® training programme began in Canada and was brought to the UK by performance and talent management expert People 1^st to prepare businesses in and around London ahead of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The course teaches the importance of customer service and focuses on how staff members interact with customers as well as communication and listening skills.

The training was delivered locally by Orkney College’s Anne Hill and independent tutor Ann Marwick. It included scenario-based work and a multiple-choice exam.

Dawn Flett, Chair of the Orkney Steering Group, said: “We are delighted that so many local businesses have taken part in the drive to achieving WorldHost® Destination Status. Excellent customer service is vitally important and, even though Orkney is famed for its warm welcome, we can’t rest on our laurels.

“Creating positive impressions with our customers and visitors will hopefully enhance Orkney’s reputation and keep people coming back to enjoy our islands.”

David Allen, director of Scotland for People 1^st, added: “Customer service is vital to the future success of Scottish tourism and it’s taken a huge concerted effort from businesses across Orkney to achieve WorldHost® Recognised Business status.

“Customer expectations are rising all the time, but this training means that Orkney will be well placed to meet that challenge, and I have no doubt it will have a positive impact on tourism. Congratulations to all the businesses involved!”