Resilient Leadership and Mentors Program Coming to the Region
A new program has been announced today by Tourism Whitsundays and Mackay Tourism to develop resilient leaders. The Resilient Leadership and Mentors Program aims to assist the region’s tourism industry navigate the ongoing challenges of COVID-19.
Funding for the Resilient Leadership and Mentors Program is the result of Tourism Whitsunday’s successful application to the FNQ and NQ Monsoon Trough – Category C Flexible Funding Grants Program. The program aims to develop personal resilience leadership skills, resilient and adaptive networks alongside trained Tourism Resilience Mentors from within the region’s tourism industry ranks.
Tourism Whitsundays Chief Executive Officer Tash Wheeler said the program was a key initiative in revitalising the region’s tourism industry following COVID-19.
“COVID-19 has created unprecedented challenges to tourism and showed the importance of resilience and leadership credentials,” she said.
“Tourism Whitsundays previously partnered with Mackay Tourism in delivering the very successful and timely Resilient Tourism Leadership Program.
“The Resilient Leadership and Mentors Program will build on this success through the scoping of a combined Regional Resilient Tourism Plan, underpinned using selected previous participants trained as Tourism Resilience Mentors for sustainable peer mentoring,” said Mrs Wheeler.
Delivering the program will be The Institute for Tourism Leadership Australia (ITLA). Director of ITLA Robbie Cornelius further explained the program.
“Tourism operators across Mackay and The Whitsundays have been forced to overcome several challenges, perhaps none bigger than COVID-19. Building resilience is crucial to ensuring the long-term sustainability of any industry and the Resilient Leadership and Mentors Program is an effective and long-term strategy to achieving this,” he said.
“The project builds on knowledge created in the Resilient Leadership program by utilising selected previous participants to become Tourism Resilience Mentors via a process of Excellence in Mentoring training. These mentors and program facilitators will provide ongoing support and training to the program participants,” explained Mr Cornelius.
Mackay Tourism Chief Executive Officer Tas Webber welcomed the collaboration between the two regional tourism organisations.
“Mackay Tourism and Tourism Whitsundays have now partnered in several fruitful marketing campaigns and development programs. With so many travellers visiting both Mackay and The Whitsundays, the growth and success of one region reflects upon the other. Mackay Tourism is proud therefore to again partner with Tourism Whitsundays in delivering beneficial opportunities for our industry,” he said.
The Resilient Leadership and Mentors Program will commence in November and continue through to June 2021.
ENDS
Contact:
Daniel Brown - Communications Officer
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Monday, 13 July 2020