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Acevedo Vila to keep tourism strategic plan in gear
by Joanisabel Gonzalez-Velazquez, Caribbean Business
Posted: Aug 26, 2004 22:10 UTC
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ISLA VERDE - Retaining the Tourism & Transportation Strategic Plan, adding 5,000 hotel rooms, and transforming Puerto Rico into the Caribbean capital were some of the promises Anibal Acevedo Vila made to the tourism industry last week.
The Popular Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate addressed hoteliers during a luncheon sponsored by the Puerto Rico Hotel & Tourism Association (PRHTA) held at the Wyndham El San Juan Hotel & Casino in Isla Verde.
“We need to rethink our tourism industry so we can make it an integral component of a strong local multisector economy,” said Acevedo Vila.
But Acevedo Vila doesn’t plan to reinvent the wheel either, and hoteliers were pleased with his commitment to carry on with the Tourism & Transportation Strategic Plan, and was adopted by the Calderon administration in 2002. “We will continue to support…improve, and implement…this master plan developed by the private sector along with the Tourism Co. and other government agencies,” he said.
If elected, Acevedo Vila promised to add 5,000 hotel rooms during his term; strengthen education programs for potential tourism professionals; and develop new attractions as part of his initiative called “Puerto Rico: Capital of the Caribbean,” including a Caribbean theme park, an Imax theater complex, an aquarium, a natural history museum, bike and jogging trails, five new public beaches, and the Salsa hall of fame.
He also made the commitment to investing $25 million in security and safety programs at local airports, to expanding the Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport, and to supporting the cruise industry. He declined however, to comment on the controversy embroiling the Ports Authority, the Tourism Co., and cruise-line companies. The latter oppose the passenger-fee increase the Ports Authority put into effect last month (CB July 15).
Industry leaders who have been clamoring for years for a private-sector Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) to promote local tourism, however, may receive less support from Acevedo Vila as he considers tourism marketing a government responsibility. CVB supporters argue such an office would ensure continuity regardless of changes in administration.
Puerto Rico Convention Bureau CEO Ana M. Viscasillas, meanwhile, expressed satisfaction with Acevedo Vila’s proposals and agreed the tourism industry is a partnership between the public and private sectors.
“I was very happy to hear of his unwavering commitment to the convention center and that it will open on time. That’s essential for our image abroad,” Viscasillas said. PRHTA president and Villa Montaña Resort owner Alain Tiphaine said Acevedo Vila had used the industry’s strategic plan as a starting point to develop his own tourism platform, which he commended because this gives continuity to industry efforts.
“Acevedo Vila’s speech was a good thing for the tourism industry,” said Rick Newman, president of Flagship Services Corp. “Our two gubernatorial candidates [Acevedo Vila and Pedro Rossello] truly believe in tourism, and that is beneficial for the industry and Puerto Rico.”
Horned Dorset Primavera’s Wilhelm Sack described Acevedo Vila’s speech as crystal clear, focused, and detailed. “Judging from the audience’s reactions, everyone loved Acevedo Vila’s tourism proposals, ” he said.
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