He said: “It’s almost 70 years since this iconic tournament was hosted by Northern Ireland and this will be the biggest sporting event in our history. We are expecting over 190,000 spectators to attend, generating an estimated £80 million pounds for the local economy and a global audience of around 800 million viewers will get the see the spectacular beauty of the Antrim coast.
Congratulating the students on achieving their ‘WorldHost’ pin, College Principal & Chief Executive, Professor Terri Scott, said:
“WorldHost is a globally recognised gold standard in customer service and with the 148th Golf Open is fast-approaching, the local economy is in need of individuals with your skills.
“Tourism success on this level cannot happen without skilled people like you on the ground. You are all key drivers of our local economy and are integral to the success of, not only this year’s Open, but the years of further tourism growth that the Open has the potential to bring.”
Karen McLeod, Travel and Tourism lecturer who delivered the WorldHost training, said it was key to improving the students’ employability.
“This is a globally recognised qualification in Customer Service and a great addition to their CV.
She added: “Northern Ireland is enjoying unprecedented success as a golf destination and the College is playing its part to ensure that young people are equipped to welcome the growing number of visitors here.
“The students all recognise the value of these world-class awards in supporting their current part-time jobs and future employability in travel, tourism, hospitality, passenger transport and retail worldwide.”
Among the Coleraine based students to receive their WorldHost certificates were Sarah Thompson from Ballymoney and George Mainwaring from Portstewart, who work in Bob and Bert’s, Coleraine and 55 Degrees North in Portrush respectively. They said that the WorldHost training had helped their confidence when dealing with customers.
George added: “The Open will bring a lot of visitors to the area so we expect to be very busy and under pressure at times so the WorldHost training will certainly come in very handy when dealing with customers!”
Ballymena based students to receive their WorldHost certificates included Hollie Murdock from Ballyclare and Chloe Moore from Ahoghill. They are looking both forward to working during the Open and said the Travel and Tourism Diploma and WorldHost training have given them the necessary skills and knowledge to deal more confidently with customers.