ARTICLE - TOURISTS - WELCOME FACILITIES

ESTABLISHMENT OF WELCOMING FACILITIES FOR TOURISTS
(Haiti Libre) -

As part of its action plan, Stéphanie Balmir Villedrouin, the Minister of Tourism is working to put in place 'welcoming facilities' for tourists.

"[...] When you arrive somewhere, in any country, you have what is called a tourist guide for the country, in which you have a summary that tells you if you go to one place, here's what you can visit, and what you will find. When you arrive at this place, it is necessary to have a management unit, that the place is clean, there are restrooms, catering facilities etc...

What have we decided? [...] The Ministry of Tourism has an action plan that it is implementing now. We have 113 million gourdes in the budget that was passed. An initial disbursement of 45 million gourdes was made. We are taking the majority of this amount for promotion. As you know, we launched the new campaign of promotion and image change for Haiti as a destination, and we participated in several fairs in North America, Canada, and the Dominican Republic. We have made great progress in promotion [...]

The other important aspect is training. You can not say that you are a tourist destination, if the reception staff is not trained. I must tell you that the biggest advantage for a destination, what makes it competitive and attractive compared to another, is the service. Therefore, we must also be able to offer good service to tourists [...] that's why right now we are implementing a program in Les Cayes, since this weekend, for a continuous training of 500 employees of the tourism sector [...]

Another important axis of the Ministry is to establish not only 'welcoming centers' in the region, but the first welcome of a tourist, is at the airport. The Ministry of Tourism will have a 'welcoming center' at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport, an information point so that each visitor who comes, can find information where he can go with a tourist map. In this regard, we had no map,... I placed the order and we will have them by late July [...]

The Ministry made a collaboration with agents who offer tours. You can see a nice picture of the Citadelle, but if you do not know how to get there... So, at the stand of the Ministry, each agent will have a place for the promotion of their tours and provide information on the excursions, sightseeing and activities.

Now, the role of the Ministry is to ensure that in these sites, there is a management unit and a 'welcoming unit'; toilet blocks, benches and tables so that people can eat and that the space is well equipped [...]"