Ho hum… tourism figures up again

Those big numbers reported by the Tourism Board for the year 2000 were apparently no fluke. Airport arrival figures for the first month of this new year show a solid eight point five percent increase over a year ago. Just over twelve thousand bonafide tourists landed at the P.G.I.A. in January, more than any January in history. According to the BTB, the sustained upswing in tourism is also filling more hotel rooms, as statistics show that nationwide occupancy rates for the first eleven months of 2000 increased by almost ten points to forty-one point nine percent. All the major destinations showed significant occupancy growth with Caye Caulker, Placencia and San Pedro chalking up the biggest gains. The good times in tourism are expected to continue, buoyed by a strong promotional campaign and the windfall publicity generated by Marion Jones’ choice of flag in Sydney and Fox Television’s choice of Belize as the location for Temptation Island.