Travel to and from U.S. still cut off

Hundreds of travellers to and from Belize remain stranded by the closure of U.S. airspace. Reports from resorts on the cayes and mainland, indicate that most visitors have realised that there is nothing they can do to influence events and are taking advantage of the extra few days holiday to see more sights or just enjoy the fine weather. The major airlines flying between Belize and the U.S. have not been able to confirm operations for Thursday and the feeling is that in light of the careful approach being taken by the F.A.A., flights may not begin until Friday at the earliest. Despite the short-term inconvenience, officials who spoke to News 5 have expressed more concern over the medium and long term effects of the disaster on tourism to Belize. There is a fear, shared by many Caribbean destinations, that Tuesday’s massive acts of air piracy and terrorism will convince Americans to stay home and avoid all unnecessary travel, particularly travel abroad. This possibility, coupled with a likely recession in the U.S. economy, could put a chill on what was expected to be Belize’s hottest winter tourism season ever.