Tourism, Health and Belize’s Terrestrial Borders

Lisa Indar

The health of Caribbean economies is closely related to the health of its travel and tourism industry since the Caribbean is the most tourism-dependent region in the world.  Doctor Lisa Indar is the Director of Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control at CARPHA. 

Dr. Lisa Indar, Director, CARPHA

“It has been quite a successful experience.  We have launched in thirteen countries and we are working in about eighteen or nineteen countries at different levels.  You know, the Caribbean is tourism dependent, so this program addresses health and safety issues in tourism.  So countries are really using and adopting it so that they can have healthier and safer tourism. CARPHA serves twenty-six countries and most of our countries are small islands and, you know, you can get from one country to the other through the sea.  But in Belize, you are surrounded by land and what makes it unique is that your borders and it’s just literally a crossover, you don’t have to get a plane to go.  So it means that just as how people can move easily, and can have disease spread and we all know that if you are in one country that you have immunity in that country and so on.  But whenever you have something new, new people, new diseases, you have to build immunity.”