Canouan Group Trains 34 Airport Professionals in Service Excellence

Every visitor to Canouan passes through the island’s airport twice, once on arrival and once on departure. From October 5 to 7, 2026, Canouan Group brought together the people who staff that journey.

The Enriching Tourist Experience: Canouan Service Excellence Workshop trained 34 professionals in two cohorts over three days. They came from airport operations, aviation services, customs, immigration, security, ground handling and customer service. These agencies serve the same passengers but rarely train together. The program was led by Vaibhav Garg, Chief Partnerships, People & Culture Officer at Canouan Group.

The Airport as the Front Door

The curriculum treated the airport as the first and last impression of Canouan and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Sessions covered passenger journey mapping, service touchpoints, cultural awareness, service recovery and complaint handling. One theme ran through all of it: delivering security with hospitality, which means meeting safety and compliance requirements while keeping each interaction warm.

The program was built around the ADCA Customer Engagement Model. Participants said they plan to use the framework right away in their daily work. Every frontline role was framed as a Tourism Ambassador, responsible for the island’s reputation as well as their own agency’s standards.

The format was hands-on: role plays, case studies, scenario exercises and joint action planning. Participants also worked on what the program calls “Canouan WOW Moments,” small, deliberate gestures that make a visit memorable.

One Shared Service Language

The biggest result came from bringing the agencies together. Customs officers, security staff and ground handlers mapped the passenger journey side by side and saw where their roles connect. They left with a common service vocabulary to use at every touchpoint.

All 11 participants who completed the post-workshop evaluation said the program met its objectives, was relevant to their role and was delivered clearly. All 11 would recommend it to colleagues. Overall satisfaction averaged 4.73 out of 5.

Recognition From Argyle International Airport

Josette Greaves, CEO of Argyle International Airport Inc. (AIA), praised the initiative’s preparation and professionalism. She also highlighted its focus on memorable passenger experiences within airport safety and security standards. She said the program aligns with AIA’s own vision for service excellence and expressed interest in extending the collaboration to other airports AIA manages.