Michigan’s Team Lansing Foundation, along with the Greater Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau,revealed Doug Klein, CTA, executive director of the Mason Area Chamber of Commerce, as the 2016 Greater Lansing Certified Tourism Ambassador of the Year. He received his award at the 2017 Greater Lansing CVB Annual Meeting held on Feb. 21 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in East Lansing; Klein is one of more than 500 CTAs in the area.
“Doug exemplifies the goals of the CTA program by being outgoing and helpful during his interactions with visitors, encouraging them to visit our many community assets and to experience, explore and then welcome others to the Greater Lansing community,” says Jack Schripsema, president,GLCVB and executive director, Team Lansing Foundation.
Through a series of reading assignments and one half-day, in-class session and exam, the Greater Lansing Certified Tourism Ambassador program prepares participants for hospitality and tourism-related positions. Participants receive in-depth training and education of the area’s many assets. At the end, participants receive a nationally recognized certification designation for their resume.
“Tourism is about creating experiences, and front-line workers can have the biggest impact on making a visitor’s time in Greater Lansing memorable,” says Schripsema.
Although the program focuses mainly on the hospitality community, any interested Greater Lansing resident may enroll. The cost for the course is $20 per person; group rates also are available. To access a class schedule and obtain additional information visit lansing.org/cta.
