FIRST EVER TOURISM COVID 19 EXTRA CARE TRAINING WORKSHOP LAUNCHED

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Medical Services have launched the first ever combined tourism and health undertaking aimed at ensuring that the tourism sector is strategically and relevantly aligned to the ‘New Normal’ brought about by the Covid 19 pandemic.

A total of 150 tourism sector workers in Honiara are expected to participate in the four-days training workshop launched yesterday, Tuesday 13, at the Heritage Park Hotel. The workshop ends on Friday 16 with the presentation of certificates to participants,

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT), Andrew Nihopara reminded the first batch of 50 tourism workers to the Covid 19 Extra Care Measures and Standards training workshop that the onus is on their side to set the standard high when they return to their respective businesses and work places with a new set of knowledge and skills acquired during the course of the training.

“I would like to reiterate and remind all participants to this training that you are pioneers in this space – being the first of many more tourism groups who will be undertaking this training”, Nihopara said.

He explained that when the World Health Organisation declared the Corona Virus a global pandemic, every single country in the world were affected adding that Solomon Islands was no exception.

Nihopara, however, stressed that the DCGA government had not only acted promptly in initiating crucial measures that have continued to protect our nation, but has persisted to navigate the social and economic challenges that are being brought about by the Covid 19 impact.

PS Andrew Nihopara

Nihopara pointed out that in July 2020, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism together with the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and Tourism Solomons launched the ‘IU MI TUGEDA’ Campaign, as a necessary platform intended to refocus on ourselves as One People, One Government and One Country which was a premise upon which joined efforts commenced the process of adapting to what has now become the ‘New Normal’.

He added that premised on the Iumi Tugeda Campaign, the Ministry of Tourism and Culture reached out to the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) to explore opportunity to develop a Covid 19 Extra Care measures and protocols for tourism facilities and tourism workers.

The result of that joint effort by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) eventuated in the assembling of a team that had developed the Covid 19 Extra care measures and standards that is now rolled out in this training workshop for tourist accommodations and tourism workers, according to Nihopara.

He revealed that the training workshop’s contents in its entirety have been put together based on globally recognized protocols geared towards ensuring that tourism facilities are Covid safe and the service delivery of tourism workers are enhanced consistently with MHMS endorsed protocols and practices.

The bottom line as MCT Permanent Secretary Nihopara outlined is to ensure that all tourism facilities and workers are Covid 19 safe and compatible in order to bolster visitor confidence in our respective tourism properties, the sector and the country as a whole.

“I therefore call for participants to embrace what you will learn from the training and apply them to your respective work places”, Nihopara added.

GCU Press