The VI Department of Tourism issued a news release which needs no explanation for anyone who's flown into the St. Thomas airport or taken a ferry to St. John.
"In order to ensure visitors to the U.S.V.I receive the best customer care, the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism is sponsoring another series of customer service workshops this month. Led by professional service trainer and Virgin Islander, Dr. Bryan Williams, the June sessions will target the islands’ transportation providers; taxi drivers and ferry boat operators who are among the first and last to have contact with our visitors."
"Providing excellent customer service to our visitors is the single most important thing all of us can do to maintain and grow our tourism industry,” said Tourism Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty.
Unfortunately the 'training' is not mandatory, nor part of a licensing procedure.
The Commissioner, the news release said, "Urges all transportation operators to take advantage of this opportunity to sharpen their customer service skills and learn how to earn repeat business, increase tips, and improve customer satisfaction."
I think crime and our safety is a bigger issue for me.
Rude taxi drivers are a big problem.
We visit St John every year, and every year we go home with the same sentiments; rude taxi drivers, and rude ferry dock workers, added to that list are rude rental car places. Every where else we go to, restaurants, bars, national parks, etc. people are very courteous and friendly.
One other thing wich should be better controlled is the young men ahnging out on the corners around town in Cruz Bay that use excessively bad language as we walk past them, these are not isolated incidents, they are a consant problem and the authorities should keep it to a minimum….
We’ve been vacationing on St John for years and have never had an issue with the locals.
My husband and I have been going to St. Thomas and St. John for over 20 years. We have always found the cab drivers for the most part to be friendly.
The ferry boat workers both in the booths and on the ferries however are very curt.
As for safety, we have never encountered anything that would makes us felt unsafe. Especially on St. John/