Department of Parks
Hospitality Training Program Honors Kentucky State Parks

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentucky State Parks received the top two awards for hospitality training at the annual meeting of the Southern and Eastern Kentucky Tourism Development Association (SEKTDA), held recently at Somerset, Ky.

SEKTDA awarded first place in its “Shining STAR Trainer of the Year” category to Parks Regional Director Ken Binder, who represents Kentucky’s eastern parks, and second place to Parks Regional Director Charles Smith, who represents Kentucky’s southern parks.

Fifth District U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, who has been instrumental in developing this program and many other tourism initiatives, presented the awards.

About 600 frontline workers at Kentucky’s parks have been through SEKTDA’s STAR training. STAR is an acronym that stands for service, training, achievement and recognition. The training focuses on attitude, great service, consistency and teamwork.

SEKTDA is a non-profit organization created in 1987 by Rep. Rogers to promote, expand, develop and market the existing and potential tourism opportunities throughout Southern and Eastern Kentucky.

The Kentucky State Park System is composed of 52 state parks plus an interstate park shared with Virginia. The Department of Parks, an agency of the Commerce Cabinet, operates 17 resort parks with lodges -- more than any other state. Each year, Kentucky parks draw 7 million visitors and contribute $317 million to the economy. For more information on Kentucky parks, visit our Web site at http://www.parks.ky.gov