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
Caracas, Venezuela
NationalityHaitian
Spouse(s)Marcel Bernard Villedrouin[1]
Children3[1]
ParentsAlix Balmir (Father)
Gladys du Bousquet (Mother)
Alma materPontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra[1]

Early years

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

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

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

References
  1. "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. 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. "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.
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