Local hotel personnel to learn sign language

ISTANBUL

Hearing impaired tourists will be greeted with hotel staff trained in sign language.

The Touristic Hotels and Investors Association (TUROB) is getting ready to offer sign language training to Turkish hotel staff in order to provide better services to hearing-impaired tourists.

Offering clear and effective communication is one of the most important factors for the tourism sector in terms of infrastructure and dynamics, said TUROB President Timur Bayındır in a press release.

“The primary goal is to make our customers happy and provide quality service by providing face to face communication at our hotels,” he said, adding that the latest technology had provided handicapped tourists with the means to travel, which was a development that had to be responded to by hotels.

The “Sign Language Training Program” geared to the hotel sector will kick off this month in conjunction with the Hearing Impaired Federation. The program will initially focus on the hotel front office and service departments, which are the two departments that are constantly in communication with hotel guests.