Ministry of Tourism Stages Care Awareness Seminar

The Ministry of Tourism has increased its service and hospitality offerings to visitors to the island, with the staging of its first Care Awareness Seminar in Montego Bay, St. James for service providers.
The seminar, held at the Wexford Court Hotel, today (May14), was designed to equip the service providers and workers with the requisite skills to respond positively to trauma affecting visitors to the island, in the face of illness, injury, accidents, robbery or death.
Participants, drawn from tourism establishments and organisations across western Jamaica, were educated through lectures, group discussions and exercises, video presentations and role plays.

Tourism industry service providers and workers participating in the Ministry of Tourism’s Care Awareness Seminar held at the Wexford Court Hotel in Montego Bay St. James today (May 14).

Some topical areas in focus were: introduction to human services response; what is crisis; employee communications during crisis; traumatic stress; communication skills for working people in crisis; and employee transcendence.
Deputy Chairman of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), John Byles, commended participants for attending the seminar, which has come at ‘an appropriate and opportune’ time on the tourism agenda.
“This programme you are engaging in, is designed to pass on the necessary skills to provide more effective and compassionate support for visitors to the island, who are affected by trauma of one kind or the other. I see this as a valuable addition to the range of services and support that Jamaica must offer, as a destination,” Mr. Byles noted.

Resource persons from the Family Assistance Foundation, Dr. Carolyn Coarsey (second left) and Jeff Morgan (left), converse with Joy Roberts (second right) of Island Management and Marline Stephenson Dalley (right) M.C. at the Tourism’s Care Awareness Seminar held at the Wexford Court Hotel in Montego Bay St. James today (May 14).

He thanked resource persons, Dr. Carolyn Coarsey and Mr. Jeff Morgan of Family Assistance Foundation, for committing themselves to giving Jamaican tourism service providers a competitive edge.
“I am especially pleased to welcome Dr. Carolyn Coarsey to our shores, as she brings to us a vast amount of experience in helping people to face traumatic events and disasters,” Mr. Byles said.
He commended the Family Assistance Foundation for its approach in helping organisations successfully meet survivor needs, and respond more effectively when disaster strikes.
The seminar was hosted by the Family Assistance Foundation, in conjunction with the TEF, Ministry of Tourism, Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), Port Authority of Jamaica and Marksman Limited.