Archipelago of Adventure: Creating an International Tourist Guiding Qualification for Vanuatu and beyond
Sustainable tourism in the South Pacific. The Institute has continued its work in Vanuatu through a further grant from the Global Challenges Research Fund, and a return visit to develop training programme for tourist guides.
The most significant issue identified by our previous research was the necessity of creating an internationally recognised tourism qualification, recognised as a prime need by all stakeholders as tourism development could not really take place without it. The Institute is now developing a training programme for Vanuatu tourist guides with the Scottish Qualifications Authority, the Vanuatu Qualifications Authority, and the University of the South Pacific. It will be rolled out further across the South Pacific nations. This development will improve the career and economic prospects of this workforce, particularly women, and the service and cultural product on offer, resulting in the attraction and retention of high end tourists. INS staff are particularly proud that their research will be improving lives in a very real and immediate way.