Become a Certified Tourism Ambassador®

Certification enrollment is open to anyone who is directly or indirectly involved in the tourism industry or in serving locals and visitors (leisure travelers, business travelers, spectators, attendees).

To earn the CTA designation, all participants must: 

• • Complete a required reading assignment (approx. 200 pages, including exercises)

• • Attend a half-day classroom session. Four instructional modules include:
       1) The Power of Tourism 
       2) Discovering Greenville, SC
       3) Knowing, Finding & Using Resources
       4) Exceeding Customer Expectations

• • Pass an open-book certification exam

Upon successful completion of the program, participants will earn the Certified Tourism Ambassador® designation (you may use the CTA initials behind your name, e.g. Jane Doe, CTA), along with a certificate of completion and lapel pin. 

An annual renewal process that includes continuing education is necessary to maintain your certification. 

There is a one-time non-refundable enrollment fee of $25 per person. The annual certification renewal fee is regularly $20, or $10 with an early-bird discount. Group discounts are available.

Each year, Greenville welcomes seven million visitors who spend over $1.5 billion in our local community. These visitors’ experiences in Greenville County and the interactions they have with locals leave a lasting impact. The more residents trained through this program, the better the overall visitor experience becomes. Greenville visitors often say that the people they interacted with made their time here memorable and special. It makes them want to come back and tell their friends to visit, too. This all leads to more dollars spent in Greenville at local businesses and restaurants. Help be a part of keeping our tourism economy thriving!

Classes are held once a month from 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM at the VisitGreenvilleSC Offices at 148 River St., Greenville, SC, 29601 unless otherwise noted.

Yes, registration is required before attending.