Magda de la Torre, North American director for the Ministry of Tourism, says that 2,065 US- and Canada-based travel agents successfully completed the first Dominican Republic Travel Experts seminars-in-print program. The program to certify travel agents on selling the Dominican Republic was carried in publications in Recommend, Travel Agent and Travel Weekly magazines. The participants received educational credits from the Institute of Certified Travel Agents after completing the eight-month course.
Of the participating travel specialists, 25 won all-inclusive ?Here, I Feel Free? vacations in the Dominican Republic to continue their training on-site. Ten seminars on selling Dominican holidays from May to December 2002 were held, at which each attendee received promotional print material on Dominican destinations and filled out questionnaires based on its content to receive their certification .
For the Travel Weekly promotion, the country received the prestigious bronze award from the Association of Travel Marketing Executives (ATME) for trade advertising, a recognition of innovation in travel marketing. The award was presented at the 22nd annual Atlas Awards gala in New York City on 1 April 2003.
The Ministry of Tourism invested US$500,000 in the programs to prepare the travel industry professionals and make the new promotional material available. As part of its program to further US travel agents? knowledge of the Dominican Republic, De la Torre said that the next step is to coordinate more familiarization trips so the agents can continue their education.
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