An education program aimed at introducing the Polk County populace to the abundant entertainment options around them continues to evolve. The program has moved from the Welcome Center to hotel front desks, on to Southeastern University – and now to the Polk County Public School District.
While today it is known as the CATS program – short for Certified Ambassadors of Tourism and Sports – it started as the HIP Program. Aimed at the tourism industry, the Hospitality Industry Professionals tour was a way for those working at front desks and chambers of commerce to experience Polk County. The program migrated from tourism staff to the staff at the Welcome Center.
“We realized that if we broadened the scope of the program, we’d broaden the positive impact,” said Justin Laferriere, the Senior Visitor Experience Manager who oversees the Welcome Center.
As CATS, the program became an innovative training and exposure program, not just for industry-focused groups such as hotels, but for locals as well.
“Our latest studies from Downs and St. Germain reinforce what has proven true for years – that visiting family and friends remains a top reason why out-of-town visitors come to Polk County,” said Laferriere. “So every dollar spent educating the public on things to do here comes back tenfold, minimizing dollars that could be spent elsewhere. It is one of the best returns on investment we have.”
Featuring a half-hour online course and various on-location reviews, the program eventually expanded to Southeastern University, which, in 2020, added Tourism and Hospitality Management as a major.
In all, more than 500 have completed both the online and in-person portion.
This year, the program will be integrated into a course at Davenport High School.
“Being a first-year high school program, we’re all new to this,” said Laferriere. “Of course, when it comes to high school classrooms, we hope to open their eyes to all the possible high paying career paths there are in tourism,” said Laferriere.
While specific employment demographics are not available for the parents of Davenport High School, the school’s proximity to Orlando means it is reasonable to assume that most students at least have some exposure to the industry.
“We want to change attitudes – not just about jobs in tourism, but in our county as well,” said Laferriere. “By educating both those in the industry as well as the public to all there is to do here in Polk County, we help limit those tourism dollars that could escape elsewhere.”