Training Ecoturism Program

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This project increases the competitiveness of the Belize tourist industry by developing the skills and abilities of the hospitality and tourism workforce. The three components are: (a) training program design; (b) training of trainers; and (c) institutional strengthening of the Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA). Component 1 improves the flexibility and relevance of tourism education in accordance with projected growth of the sector in eco, nature, heritage, and adventure tourism. The first activity includes: (a) organization of a countryside, annual training needs assessment, to be conducted each year of the project; and (b) development of a survey instrument, to be circulated country-wide, to establish training focus, curriculum selection, and courses to be added. The second activity, based on the survey results, will be to select and configure a management information system for the industry, including: number and types of tourism establishments and training requirements; procedures and policies for training delivery; yearly master schedules of training, complete with number of courses offered, locations, and minimum number of participants; and registration and evaluation forms for participants and trainers. The third activity supports selection and purchase of off-the-shelf training products/packaged courses that already exist internationally and regionally for tourism training. Component 2 funds the hiring of District Tourism Trainers (DTTs) for training of trainer programs, thereby developing locally trained experts to deliver training and specialized consulting services for new and existing tourism establishments. Component 3 supports the BTIA's ability to manage and respond to the human resource development needs of the tourism sector through: (a) development of a strategic plan; (b)development of a job bank for tourism employees by collecting data on type of training and skill level as participants engage in training courses and trainers are trained; and (c) marketing and promotion, by means of print and television media and promotional brochures.