New health and safety certification will give P.E.I. tourism an edge, says TIAPEI

Tourism operators in Prince Edward Island can now take advantage of a new training and certification program aimed at safety-conscious visitors as the Island looks to reopen amid the ongoing pandemic.

The Tourism Industry Association of P.E.I. (TIAPEI) says theSafe Haven P.E.I. program will offer reassurance to customers as the world moves toward living with COVID-19.

The program, believed to be the first program of its kind in North America,aims to helptourists and others find businesses and services with a provencommitmentto "rigorous" health and safety standards.

"The research is telling us that travellers want to see these safety measures and certifications when they're looking to travel somewhere," said TAIPEI CEOCorryn Clemence.

"I think this puts us ahead of other jurisdictions."

The program was modelled ona similar campaign in Australia called EarthSafe, which was developed bytourism advisory group EarthCheck, according toClemence.

"That program came out of the pandemic, and was ensuring the safety and hygiene processes of a lot of the resorts," Clemence said. "We took that program and we've taken the past year to develop our own Prince Edward Island-specific program."

Will provide a 'peace of mind' for visitors

The Safe Havenprogram includes an online checklist and training for staff, as well as annual inspectionsby Quality Tourism Services, a company that already does hygiene safety inspections for accommodations on the Island, Clemence said.

"It's a really robust program. It will provide peace of mind, not just for our visitors, but we understand the importance to our communities and our our staff as well," she said.

The Safe Haven P.E.I. program is free for tourism operators for the next two years.

"Tourism has had a tough couple of years and we really wanted to offer this to them as a way of enhancing their operations as we prepare for the upcoming year, " Clemence said.

Restaurants, airports, cruise lines, event centresand operators offering accommodations can take part in the program.