Georgetown : In its efforts to reduce Spanish language barrier and provide more enhanced services to persons visiting Guyana, the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) facilitated a four-day training session in basic Spanish for the staff of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).
Some 30 individuals participated per session. The training entailed three daily sessions, each lasting two hours, and targeted different individuals from the various departments to complement their work shifts.
It offered training in basic Spanish mostly greetings and the sessions were opened to all staff starting from front line, all the way to housekeeping and taxi drivers because these are the individuals who tourists interact with the most.
Director of GTA, Indranauth Haralsingh who was present during the final session of the course said that this initiative will enhance the ability of these individuals to better understand and communicate with persons visiting Guyana from Spanish speaking
Haralsingh also noted that this group of individuals is the largest ever to be trained during one course in the history of the tourism sector. He also urged the participants to practice what they have learnt, and use this opportunity as a stepping stone for greater heights.
Course Facilitator Gemma Wenner noted that the sessions were very interactive which allowed the participants to have a better understanding of the language. She added that Guyana is a very hospitable country however; it can face some disadvantages in terms of language barriers.
Wenner is in Guyana with her husband who is stationed here for three years through the Inter American Development Bank (IDB). She is an online professor for several Universities and is conducting this course free of cost for GTA, because of her passion for her work.
