B.T.B.: cruise ship arrivals way down

Tourism statistics for the first five months of the year are out and the numbers are good or bad, depending on whether you earn your living in the overnight or cruise side of the industry. For traditional overnight visitations, arrivals at the Philip Goldson International Airport are up a healthy four point seven percent over last year, totalling just under ninety-one thousand for the period January through May. When you add in tourist arrivals at the other points of entry the amount still shows a strong four point three percent rise over last year, reaching almost one hundred twenty thousand visitors. While hotel operators may be smiling, their counterparts in the cruise trade are not, as numbers are off twenty-one point five percent from last year. According to a release from the Belize Tourism Board, the major reason for the drop is the removal from service of the Carnival Elation from its weekly Western Caribbean itinerary. Since Hurricane Katrina the Elation has been docked in New Orleans as a home for displaced residents and aid workers. Sources in the cruise industry tell News Five that while the Elation’s loss has hurt business, there have been other ship cancellations and that the overall affluence of cruise visitors to Belize has declined, meaning they spend less on tours and souvenirs. The downward trend for cruise ships is expected to continue at least through the end of the year.