Above: a beach in Jacmel, Haiti (Photo: MT Haiti)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Haiti’s Ministry of Tourism has begun talks with the Antigua and Barbuda Hospitality Training Institute on potential areas of cooperation, following a recent visit by Calvin Ambrose, executive director of the ABHTI.

The discussions follow the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the institute and Haiti’s Ministry of Tourism in Port-au-Prince last week.

Ambrose’s visit, part of Antigua Prime Minister Dr Baldwin Spencer’s first trip to Haiti, included a stop at Haiti’s Hotel School, both to look at its operations and make a “practical examination” of its students.

His visit also featured a meeting with Haitian tourism officials to begin discussions on areas including staff and student exchange, curriculum development and a strategic plan for training.

The latter could see between 800 and 1,000 Haitian students trained over a two-year period.

There are currently 10 Haitian students in several programes at the ABHTI.

Ambrose said there was “much that can be done” to enhance the programme offerings at the hotel school.

Haiti and Antigua’s tourism ministries are slated to meet early in 2013 to continue their cooperation.

Antigua is the latest regional country to sign a tourism agreement with Haiti. Mexico and Ecuador have also signed similar cooperation pacts with Haiti this year.