B.T.B. gets funding from O.A.S. for training
And in news in the Tourism Industry, Belize is one of three Caribbean countries that are benefitting from funding for training for the next three years. The programme for capacity building is funded by the Organisation of American States and U.S.A.I.D. and the implementing body will be the Belize Tourism Board. Marion Ali was at the introduction of the programme this morning at the Belize Biltmore Plaza Hotel and has the details in the following report.
Marion Ali, Reporting
The project, which carries a bill of around eleven thousand U.S. dollars per year locally for the next three years, targets several key areas of training. Director of Product Development at B.T.B., Laura Esquivel, says training has to take centre stage in order to keep up with an ever-competing world.
Laura Esquivel, Dir., Product Development, B.T.B.
“It would all be in training, as we said, it would be train the trainer courses. We will have some management, small hotel owners course and we’re looking at culinary arts training projects. We are gonna be bringing in international trainers to do the train the trainers courses. We’re getting recommendations from the Organization of American States on the trainers that will be used as it will be internationally certified projects that we will be doing.”
Marion Ali
“Have we lost ground in the quality of service that we put out?”
Laura Esquivel
“I wouldn’t say that we necessarily lost ground. I would say that there’s always ways to improve and there’s always, every year as travelers become more adapted to travelling, their expectations are also higher so we have to go with the flow.”
Esquivel says trends show that the Caribbean has started to experience competition from new and emerging destinations, some of which are first world countries.
Laura Esquivel
“We’re looking at countries like—we in Belize, we compete with Mexico and we compete with Costa Rica more so than we compete with other Caribbean countries, I think mainly because of our location and because of the similarities somewhat what we have to offer. Caribbean countries are also seeing that people in the U.S., because of their economies, they are also competing with other U.S. cities for the same kinds of tourism dollars. We had a significant decrease in our arrivals. However, we have bounced back and in fact, we have had some record months this year and overall we are only down point four of a percent in terms of tourist arrivals for the year.”
But because tourist arrivals are down in other Caribbean countries, O.A.S Representative in Belize, Kim Osborne, says Belize is not the only beneficiary of the assistance.
Kim Osborne, O.A.S Rep., Belize
“What we have at the O.A.S., we have projects being submitted as multi-national projects as a project funding entity and Belize chose to do a multi-national project. The other countries supporting the initiative and seeing the need in their country for such training were Antigua and the other country, I believe was St. Kitts. So once the project was submitted, we fund it as a multi-national project.”
Marion Ali
“Are there any requirement we’ll be expected to meet as a result of the funding you’re providing for us?”
Kim Osborne
“Well, we’re hoping that industry partners will come together, that people will participate fully in the project, that people will take advantage of what is being offered, that people will support the B.T.B. and the other industry partners in what they’re doing and that persons will go back as we do the training of trainers programme to continue to train people within their establishments because it’s only by training constantly, training and improving our service skills that again, we’ll be able to deliver the high quality service that the industry expects of us.”
But not only should Belize be meeting those expectations, but also be raising the bar as a competitive destination in an already crowded tourism market in the region.
Laura Esquivel
“There is currently a proposal going before Cabinet in terms of being able to get more tourism dollars—more dollars towards the marketing of our tourism product in Belize. I don’t know where they are with that, I think it should be going to Cabinet today. But there is definitely an increased effort within the Belize Tourism Board. There is a marketing advisor committee, we have a new advertising firm in the U.S. that we’re working with that’s already producing a lot of good results.”
Marion Ali
“What’s their name?”
Laura Esquivel
“B.V.K. So they are already producing a lot of good results for us so far in the few months that we’ve been working with them. So we’re very pleased with them and we think that teaming up with them and the marketing advisor committee and the people in the industry who are coming and assisting us, we feel that we are already moving places in terms of the marketing of Belize.”
Marion Ali
“So that, coupled with this training, should …”
Laura Esquivel
“Right, that should put us to where we need to go for future years.”
Saint Kitts and Nevis and Antigua and Barbuda are getting similar amounts for the same cause in their tourism sector. Reporting for News Five, Marion Ali.
