MINISTRY OF TOURISM AND ENVIRONMENT AND AH&TA TEAM KICKS OFF 2002 SECONDARY SCHOOL TOURISM EDUCATION PROGRAM

St. John's, February 2002 -- At the request of the Principal of Christ the King High School, the Ministry of Tourism in partnership with the Antigua Hotels & Tourist Association presented a dynamic and digitally animated presentation to the entire school body at the school auditorium on Wednesday, January 16, 2002. The presentation was titled “Careers in Tourism – The Eight Key Sectors”.

The presentation team was lead by Miss Shirlene Nibbs, Director General of Tourism for Antigua & Barbuda. She shared the platform with Mrs. Cynthia Simon, Executive Director with the Antigua Hotels & Tourism Association and Miss Sascha Mercer, Director of Tourism for Latin America & Caribbean in the Ministry of Tourism and Environment. 

Presenters provided background as to how their education and career path evolved. They covered the skill sets they each have developed and refined to achieve the level of success in their respective careers. Their presentations were illustrated with an animated digital PowerPoint presentation projected on a large screen. This greatly assisted the large audience of over 300 pupils and staff to see clearly and brought much amusement when images of the presenters in their school years were shown.

The presentation was based upon the book “A Guide to Tourism Careers, Education and Training in the Caribbean” which was written by Miss Nibbs during her tenure with “Nibbs & Associates” for the Caribbean Tourism Association.

The team presented a combined overview of precisely how the eight key sectors of the Tourism industry are inter-related. They covered the eight sectors of Accommodation, Food & beverage, Adventure Tourism, Transportation, Attractions, Travel Trade, Events & Conferences and Tourism Sectors.

For 30 minutes during a break between sessions the team hosted a question and answer session during which they interacted with the students. Many direct and probing questions were asked and answered by the team. These ranged from “What were you experience working in a male dominated business world?”  to “What are the disadvantages of Tourism?”

Both the Ministry of Tourism and the Antigua Hotels & Tourist Association believe strongly in the continued and on-going exposure to students and young persons thought the nation of the possibilities and scope for sustainable careers in the Tourism industry in Antigua & Barbuda.

It is planned that a traveling “road show” version of the presentation be developed so that all secondary more schools can benefit from hearing persons in real jobs sharing about real experiences in their careers in tourism.

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Alana Michael welcomes the Tourism official.

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Digital photos compliments the Ministry of Tourism