“CRAFT MARKET CELEBRATES VENDORS’ ACHIEVEMENTS”

The Tourism Attraction Board (TAB) and management of the Cayman Craft Market is proud to celebrate the achievements of its vendors who recently underwent the Aquila Centre for Cruise Excellence Training.

The Aquila workshops held in August, were coordinated by the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) and hosted locally by the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism. Twenty vendors received the internationally recognised certification through the Front Line and Customer Service Workshop.

The Aquila company is a Canadian tour operator and FCCA approved trainer based in Saint John, New Brunswick with 35 years of experience in the travel industry and over 30 years of providing shore excellence to the cruise industry. The company’s certification programme offers training programmes in the areas of Tour Operator Excellence, Tour Guide Excellence and Port Excellence, all designed to help the key players in cruise destinations around the world achieve excellence in their ports, tours, guides and businesses.

“We are optimistic the workshop will better prepare the vendors for their interactions with visitors this coming winter tourist season and beyond,” commented Cayman Craft Market manager, Jeán-eric Smith.

The training also coincided with the Market’s 19-year anniversary; having first been established in 2000 at the old Almond Tree Restaurant site (on North Church Street). The TAB acquired the Cayman Craft Market in 2005 and soon after, relocated the market to its current South Church Street location only five minutes from the port.

“The Market has been encouraging entrepreneurship of local artisans for almost two decades now and we’ve helped several cottage industry businesses anchor themselves within the business community. We feel it is fitting to continue to develop the talents of the vendors who make the Market a friendly place to visit and to shop” added Mr. Smith.