Stéphanie Villedrouin

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
PresidentMichel Martelly
Prime MinisterLaurent Lamothe
Florence Duperval Guillaume
Evans Paul
Preceded byOffice created
Succeeded byGuy Didier Hyppolite
Ministry of Tourism
In office
20 October 2011 – 2 April 2014
PresidentMichel Martelly
Prime MinisterGarry Conille
Laurent Lamothe
Florence Duperval Guillaume
Evans Paul
Personal details
Born (1982-03-29) 29 March 1982 (age 42)
Caracas, Venezuela
NationalityHaitian
SpouseMarcel Bernard Villedrouin[1]
Children3[1]
Parent(s)Alix Balmir (Father)
Gladys du Bousquet (Mother)
Alma materPontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra[1]

Early years

edit

Villedrouin 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

edit

Her 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

edit

In 2003, she married Marcel Bernard Villedrouin and they have three children together.[1]

References

edit
  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "In New York, working to help their school in Haiti and its city". The New York Times. 7 October 2009. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  3. ^ "Haitian Tourism Minister Stephanie Villedrouin Balmir on Leadership and Revamping the Country into a Destination Hotspot". Kreyolicious. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "Haiti" (in French). Union de la Presse Francophone. Archived from the original on 26 September 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  7. ^ "Les 7 inamovibles ministres de Martelly". MetropoleHaiti.com (in French). 3 April 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  8. ^ "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.