Belize Tourism Industry Assn celebrates twenty-five years

The recession is taking a toll on tourism and even while the number of visitors are picking up, there is still a long way to go before the industry can get back on its feet. This morning, stakeholders met at the Radisson to mark the silver anniversary of the Belize Tourism Industry Association. While there was reason to celebrate, two issues: taxation and crime, are further hurting the industry. News Five’s Delahnie Bain was at the anniversary event and has this report.

Delahnie Bain, Reporting

Celebrations for the B.T.I.A.’s twenty-fifth anniversary will span throughout the year with events on the twenty-fifth of each month. But today is the actual birthday so the tourism association gathered at the Radisson this morning to discussed its road map.

Dionne Miranda, National President, B.T.I.A.

dionne miranda

“To be really honest with you we have to get serious about what is that we’re doing in terms of creating something new. Like you’ve heard people mention, the issues have been on the table now for the past twenty-five years and yes, it has been varying degrees and different levels but the reality is that we really need to seriously ensure that we align the government and have them work in line with where it is that we need to go.”

National B.T.I.A. President Dionne Miranda says the main issue they’re working with government on is taxation in the industry.  And former president, Steve Maestre, says he supports the association going forward.

Dionne Miranda

“Right now I can tell you that we have been advocating for lowering taxes in the tourism industry and for actually a review of the tourism tax structure. We’ve just gotten somebody that will be assisting with doing that and so instead of going to government with what our feelings are we’re actually going to go there with a physical study in our hand that says this is what it looks like, this is what we need and these are the recommendations that we have in place because the reality is that the tourism industry is overtaxed to a very large extent. Apart from tax, there’s crime. There have been a number of incidents against our tourist but again our people need to feel safe as well.”

steve maestre

Steve Maestre, Past President, B.T.I.A.

“I think they’ll go from strength to strength; no question about that. They’ve reached way beyond where we were twenty-five years ago with marketing and protecting the natural resources and keeping the organization strong; strength to strength that’s where they’ll go.”

Maestre also looked back at how far the industry has come in past decades.

Steve Maestre

“We’ve gone from really a small—I shouldn’t say small—but from a hardly known eco-tourism destination where many of our sites that you can visit today were really just jungle. And now you can go cave-tubing, you can zip line, you can get up into the pine ridge. So what we’ve done is we’ve really opened the door to all the resources we have so now we have to carefully move forward and protect those resources while we utilize them.”

On a lighter note, Miranda says you just can’t have a birthday without a proper celebration so they’re hosting a cocktail party tonight. That event will also be used for the new director of tourism to address the B.T.I.A. members.

Dionne Miranda

“Since we have this new Director of Tourism, Seleni Matus, we thought that it would be good for the industry to hear what change she will actually bring. So to meet her and to see what it is that we’re going to be promised. A lot of people in the industry have been waiting for change for years and years. The change is upon us but we want to know what’s in it for me? What will the industry benefit from it? So we’re giving Seleni that opportunity to tell us what she’s going to bring and trust me the industry is going to hold her tasked to it, to actually deliver at the end of the day.”

Today the B.T.I.A. also launched its new logo, electronic board and membership kits and its revamped website. Delahnie Bain for News Five.