Red Carpet Service--Linking Rural Communities to Travelers and Tourists

Authors

Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel, University of NebraskaFollow
Connie Francis, University of NebraskaFollow

Volume

45

Issue

6

Abstract

As rural communities develop their tourism potential they often overlook one basic aspect, hospitality training for front-line staff. This article describes a train-the-trainer program, Red Carpet Service, designed to help front-line employees increase tourism awareness, discover traveler tools, and practice customer service skills. It is based on a service-profit chain model that outlines the relationship between internal service quality and business profitability. The article highlights program evaluation results from post-then-pre surveys and mystery shopper interviews as well as community development roles for Extension faculty and suggests tourism as way for communities to begin working together at a regional level.

Creative Commons License

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Recommended Citation

Burkhart-Kriesel, C., & Francis, C. (2007). Red Carpet Service--Linking Rural Communities to Travelers and Tourists. The Journal of Extension, 45(6), Article 9. https://open.clemson.edu/joe/vol45/iss6/9