New tourism trainers graduate

While the cruise ship industry continues to grapple with what some people classify as berthing pains, the rest of tourism sector is moving on. Today the pool of trained professionals who prepare industry stakeholders for their chosen line of work got bigger with the graduation of another set of certified trainers. B.T.B.’s Director of Tourism Training, Vincent Palacio, says the eight men and women from all over the country underwent an intensive five-day training course in August, at the end of which they sat a certification exam. They now hold an internationally recognized certificate in tourism.

Vincent Palacio, Director of Tourism Training

“It is our policy at the Tourism Training Unit, of which I am responsible for, that all of our trainees must be certified. And being certified through A.H.L.A., American Hotel and Lodging Association, makes it internationally recognize. So the calibre of training that these people will be able to do after this training is at an international level.”

Beverly Brown, Certified Tourism Trainer

“I do teach at the University of Belize and it has given me more opportunity to deliver some of the programs better to the students. In as much as I do that at the university, it will also enable me to do the training in the other departments of the industry. Like I am a trained hospitality trainer, and I will be able to go to different areas and do some of the hospitality training, which is very much lacking in Belize right now. We need to improve our hospitality aspect of tourism.”

Vincent Palacio

“These certified trainers must provide training at the destination.”

Patrick Jones

“How do you select the people to get that training?”

Vincent Palacio

“It’s a tight screening process, because a lot of people would like to get involved in this training process or be certified, but they would need to have at least five years of training background. They have to have been training for at least five years and have some experience working in hotels and resorts, working in the hospitality sector.”

With today’s graduation, the number of certified professional trainers now stands at fifteen, but Palacio says the industry could do with a lot more people trained in hospitality management.