Port of Charlottetown now requires training for tour operators

The Port of Charlottetown now requires private tour operators who serve cruise ship passengers to have special certification.

Port officials say the training ensures a quality standard of service and applies to anyone who is taking cruise ship passengers on tours, with the exception of taxi drivers.

Port Charlottetown business development manager Corryn Clemence said the new certification requirement came into effect for this cruise ship season.

"We did a bit of research, I guess, over the last couple of years and decided that we wanted to implement a certification program for the private tour operators on the Island. Last year we notified them all and they had the past year to get the training through the Tourism Industry Association of P.E.I. or through Aquila, which is a Saint John company," Clemence said.

"I guess from our perspective we wanted to make sure we had a certain standard that the private tour operators would be operating by. We know that the pre-booked shore excursions that are contracted through the cruise lines, they have their own standards in place and we just wanted to make sure that we had standards for quality."

Ensuring 'a quality product'

The training covers things like presentation, passenger psychology, tour planning, managing difficult situations and handling emergencies.

Clemence said so far about 25 people have taken the certification training. 

There is a cost associated with it, but Clemence said many who have taken it feel it's valuable.

She noted operators can use the certification to help promote their businesses and there is an obvious benefit to the passengers. 

"We want to make sure that the ones that are doing independent tours are still getting a quality product and leaving happy."

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