Southern archeology project unveiled

Tourism and archeology in Southern Belize both received a boost last night as a project was dedicated in a short ceremony at the Radisson. The Maya Archeological Site Development Project is an effort financed by the European Union which is providing improvements to the Maya sites of Nimli Punit and Lubaantun in the Toledo District as well as Caracol in Cayo. New visitor centers have been established at the two southern locations and some consolidation — that is rebuilding of fallen buildings — has also been done. Minister of Tourism Mark Espat emphasized that in the future the once forgotten district will be placed squarely on the tourist map.

Mark Espat, Minister of Tourism

“The visitor centers at both locations I think will serve tourism to the south of Belize especially the Punta Gorda, or the Toledo District I should say, where we need the jobs and the focus on tourism more than we do today in any of the other five districts in Belize.

I would like to say to those people here this evening from the Department of Archeology who I think for many years have not received the recognition and the appreciation that they deserve that we certainly appreciate what they do for tourism and I am hoping that over the next four and a half years and beyond that we will be able to focus on archeology not just for what it can do for tourism but what it means for Belizean history and the culture that we’re hoping to build up.”

Espat said that the development of our archeological resources is a key to the growth of tourism. He cited a project now under negotiation with the Interamerican Development Bank that would bring major improvements to Maya sites in the Cayo District in the near future.