The product called Belize that is sold over the internet, in travel ads, and by agencies every day has a very high standard to live up to. And to make sure that it does match that standard the Tourism Training Unit has been providing instruction to tourism professionals. Today over 75 tourism professionals were certified for participation in international training programs. The ones holding international quality papers are chefs, restaurant managers, bakers, bookkeepers, managers and others who learned form international professionals how things are run in the real tourism world. One of the participants told us how it helped him.
George Arthurs, Trainee
"Jules to tell you the truth what is happening right now as you know the tourism industry is on the increase especially in cruise tourism and the course that I took was the HACCP and the food safety manager's course. Hazard is the hazard analysis critical control point which ensures the proper safety of food preparation, cooking, and as you know that since cruise tourism is on a rise especially that a lot of people are eating out so we have to be prepared to make sure that we don't have an outbreak, even in small establishments Jules. Not only from a professional, work, point of view like say here at the Radisson. It is good for you personally. When I took this course some of the things that I used to do at home I do no more, I pay closer attention to."
Dr. Vincent Palacio, BTB - Tourism Training Unit
"We have over 126 certificates today for people who could go anywhere in the world and present these and they would be acceptable. So it's important that we continue to upgrade our standards and make sure people are doing their part in developing this industry."
The Tourism Training Unit works out of the Belize Tourism Board.