Become a ‘tourism ambassador’ to promote Franklin County to visitors

(Chambersburg) – If a new program is successful, locals will begin seeing more tourists in the area. 

The Franklin County Certified Tourism Ambassador program is giving locals a chance to contribute to an industry which earns the area about $326 million a year, by becoming a certified tourism ambassador. 

In order to do this, residents can undergo training which will help them inform others about what there is to do in the county, and ensure anyone who visits talks positively of the area. 

Doug Harmon, CTA director at the Franklin County Visitors Bureau, said the purpose of the program is to “make every visitor experience the best it can be,” and to “facilitate the best possible (Franklin County) visitor experience through training, education, engagement strategies, industry collaboration and accreditation programs.” 

Anyone is eligible to join, he added. The training material covers the important elements of tourism, regional attractions and attributes, resources and customer service in four in-depth modules. It is delivered to trainees in a variety of ways, including a four-hour class, pre-class reading assignments – which is about 150 pages – and exercises. 

In addition, Harmon said the “classroom setting makes it an interesting, fun way to expand (participants’) knowledge and (their) ability to answer visitor questions.” 

The course is also the only one of its kind to give those who complete it an official designation – such as “Jane Doe, CTA.” 

But there are other benefits to becoming an ambassador, as well. 

Within the program, locals will have the chance to network locally and internationally; stay in-the-know with regular updates about new developments and other industry news; receive free or discounted prices to participating restaurants and attractions; increase business in the area; continue their CTA education through online videos, classes and readings; access exclusive CTA social media accounts to post insights and share experiences; and potentially advance their careers. 

“Savvy employers are hiring CTAs over non-CTAs,” Harmon said. “(Becoming a) CTA is a great resume-builder that may give you an edge over other job candidates.” 

The first training session was held on March 15 with 16 locals completing the training. The bureau has had more than 100 people express interest in joining the program, according to Harmon, so its hoping to have 120 ambassadors trained by early next year. 

For more information, visit ctanetwork.com or explorefranklincountypa.com. 

This story comes to us through a partnership between WITF and The Chambersburg Public Opinion.