Tourist Attendance Course exceeds 15 thousand enrolled

The goal of the initiative is to improve the quality of service provided to visitors and the management of tourism in the country

The course in Tourist Assistance Brasil Braços Abertosoffered by the Ministry of Tourismreached the mark of 15,875 registered students. The students have until March 30th to finish the classes, which entitle them to a certificate valid as an extension course. The BBA is an online platform, totally free of charge, open to people over 15 years old and is aimed at professionals who already work or intend to work in the sector.

Ivânia Fernandes, from Manaus, is a technical tourist guide and has just finished the Brasil Braços Abertos course. Every day, she attends Brazilian and foreign tourists interested in getting to know the Amazon beauties found in the city of Manaus. "The course helped me a lot to recycle the information on how to offer good service to visitors. The northern region receives many tourists and we always need to study and update ourselves. If tourists are well received, for sure they will come back and advertise to their friends and family", she commented.

The Southeast region stood out in number of registrants (49.8%), followed by the Northeast (20%), the South (17.1%), the Midwest (6.5%), and the North (5.2%). The largest number of students is from São Paulo (3,650). In the sequence are Rio de Janeiro (2,325), Minas Gerais (1,525), Santa Catarina (1,094), and Rio Grande do Sul (979). Residents in other countries total 115 applicants, especially Argentina (48), Venezuela (11), Portugal (6), Chile (6), and Uruguay (5).

The General Qualification Coordinator of the Ministry of Tourism, Neuza Portugal, says that the course aims to meet the needs of those interested and of the market qualification. "The course is aimed at professionals who work on the front line of tourism, regardless of their occupation profile, and allows students, especially those who are already working, to plan their studies according to their schedule availability. This is an excellent opportunity to better position oneself in the market, increasing the possibilities of being hired in the area and improving, in general, the level of excellence in tourist services in Brazil", he points out.

Evaluation

According to a survey promoted by the Ministry of Tourism with students of the last edition of the course, 95% pointed to the flexibility of time and place to study as the main motivation for the qualification. Another 90% cited the chance of professional improvement as a differential to take the course.

Still according to the survey, 84% cited the possibility of getting a certificate as motivation, and 80% elected the ease of access to classes. On the other hand, 77% indicated the expansion of opportunities to enter the job market. The survey, conducted between May 16 and June 4 this year, consulted a total of 480 volunteers.

About the BBA

The training course, which has 80 class hours, is open to enrollment every year and is divided into four modules: Introduction, Customer Service, Communication, and Cross-Cutting Issues. The course uses simple language and includes content such as notions of English, ethics, and marketing, transmitted through games and videos.

The conclusion requires that the enrolled student must score 696 points. At the end, the student can issue a certificate, certified by MTur and by the Federal Institute of Education, Science, and Technology of Rio de Janeiro (IFRJ). The BBA offers customer service to the public via the e-mail address [email protected] or by calling toll-free 0800 200 8484.

With information from the Ministry of Tourism