Stéphanie Balmir Villedrouin (French pronunciation: [stefani balmiʁ vildʁwɛ̃]; born 29 March 1982) is a Haitian entrepreneur who formerly served as the minister of tourism of Haiti.
Stéphanie Balmir Villedrouin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Ministry of Tourism and Creative Industries | |
| In office 2 April 2014 – 23 March 2016 | |
| President | Michel Martelly |
| Prime Minister | Laurent Lamothe Florence Duperval Guillaume Evans Paul |
| Preceded by | Office created |
| Succeeded by | Guy Didier Hyppolite |
| Ministry of Tourism | |
| In office 20 October 2011 – 2 April 2014 | |
| President | Michel Martelly |
| Prime Minister | Garry Conille Laurent Lamothe Florence Duperval Guillaume Evans Paul |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 March 1982 Caracas, Venezuela |
| Nationality | Haitian |
| Spouse | Marcel Bernard Villedrouin[1] |
| Children | 3[1] |
| Parent(s) | Alix Balmir (Father) Gladys du Bousquet (Mother) |
| Alma mater | Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra[1] |
Early years
editVilledrouin comes from a prominent Haitian family; the seventh child of Alix Balmir, a diplomat, and his wife, Gladys Dubousquet, a native of the city of Gonaïves, Haiti; both of her parents are mixed-race.[1][2] She was born abroad in Caracas while her father was serving in diplomatic relations as the Ambassador of Haiti in Venezuela.[3] Two months later her father was designated to the Haitian Embassy in Colombia, wherein Villedrouin spent her early childhood.[1] After the fall of the Jean-Claude Duvalier’s regime, in 1986, the whole family returned to Haiti and established restaurants and hotels.[1][4][5]
Villedrouin was four years old when her family returned to Haiti, where she completed her schooling in Port-au-Prince.[1] Then, she studied hospitality and tourism management at the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, in Santiago, Dominican Republic;[1] she managed a hotel in Kenscoff, a mountainous hamlet located 10 kilometres to the southeast of Port-au-Prince.[4][5] She is fluent in French and Haitian Creole, as well as in Spanish and English.[4]
Minister of Tourism
editHer first term as the Minister of Tourism of Haiti was from 20 October 2011 to 2 April 2014.[6] Rebranded as the Minister of Tourism and Creative Industries, Madame Villedrouin was re-confirmed to a second term on 2 April 2014 and served until 23 March 2016.[7]
During her tenure, Haiti inaugurated its first Tourism Promotion Office.[8]
Personal life
editIn 2003, she married Marcel Bernard Villedrouin and they have three children together.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Stéphanie B. Villedrouin : le Tourisme, une affaire de cœur" (in French). Le Matin. 27 December 2012. Archived from the original on 26 September 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
- ^ "In New York, working to help their school in Haiti and its city". The New York Times. 7 October 2009. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
- ^ "Haitian Tourism Minister Stephanie Villedrouin Balmir on Leadership and Revamping the Country into a Destination Hotspot". Kreyolicious. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
- ^ a b c Shafy, Samiha (18 July 2014). "A Damned Paradise: Does Haiti Need Tourism? Or Does It Need Justice?". Der Spiegel. Archived from the original on 18 July 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
- ^ a b "Cabinet ministériel : Quelques repères biographiques" (in French). Radio Kiskeya. 20 October 2011. Archived from the original on 26 September 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
- ^ "Haiti" (in French). Union de la Presse Francophone. Archived from the original on 26 September 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
- ^ "Les 7 inamovibles ministres de Martelly". MetropoleHaiti.com (in French). 3 April 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
- ^ "Haití promueve destinos turísticos a dominicanos" (in Spanish). Santo Domingo: El Día. 29 August 2014. Archived from the original on 26 September 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
