VisitBritain launches online training

BANGKOK, 10 September, 2010 – VisitBritain introduced a new online training scheme, last Thursday, aimed at certifying local travel agency staff as UK travel specialists.

The official launch of the worldwide training scheme is scheduled for 15 September, but Thai agents will have to wait until 4 October before the Thai language version of the BritAgent website is up and running.

British Ambassador to Thailand, Quinton Quayle assisted at a trade preview opening his residents to 40 leading travel agents, who listened to presentations on the up-coming BritAgent internet-based training programme.

“The UK is one of the top destinations for Thais because Thailand and the UK share similarities — constitutional monarchies and cultures,” Quayle told travel agents.

He played on the fact that around 5,000 Thai students attend schools in the UK annually and there are mutual links through football with the local Chang Beer sponsoring Everton, Singha Beer involved with Manchester United and Chelsea, while King Power Duty Free bought a stake in Leicester City FC.

VisitBritain claims 69,000 Thais visited Britain last year, up from 50,000 in 2008, representing a 38% increase in arrivals.

One of the  positive factors encouraging Thais to visit the UK is steady decline in the UK pound against the Thai baht, which has dropped from Bt70 five years ago to Bt65 in 2008 and currently hovers around Bt47.

This trend is likely to remain into 2011 according to financial experts who say the Thai baht, along with other Asian currencies, will remain strong against the UK pound and Euro in the long-run.

BritAgent has until now lagged behind other national tourist offices such as New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and Korea in the online training zone. They all established and popular online specialist training programmes for travel agents in Thailand some time back.

“We intend to launch the website in Thai language, 4 October, to train selected travel agents on tour options throughout the UK, not just the capital London,” said VisitBritain Manager for Australasia and SE Asia.

The online training will break down into three modules covering basic information to start selling Britain; detailed information on destinations in Britain and an Experience Britain section that focuses on lifestyle and the 2012 Olympics.

Like the highly successful Aussie specialist certification programme,  travel staff  eventually sign off as destination experts. The training takes three months to complete. It is based on individual registration so the specialist can take their certificate with them when they join a new company.

However, in typical British style this is an “invitation only” scheme that will focus on pre-selected  agents that VisitBritain believes are worthy of the privilege. VisitBritain says it will limit those  invitations to just 20 travel companies in Thailand.

Other companies wishing to join will be face strict vetting before they are considered eligible for an invitation, VisitBritain Thailand country representative explained.

Thailand Visitors to the UK in 2009