BELTRAIDE launches 2005-2006 work plan

The Belize Trade and Investment Development Service, BELTRAIDE, today unveiled its new look. Complete with logos and slogans, the new image is designed to highlight all the positive reasons why investing in Belize is a win-win situation for any serious-minded investor. It’s a promotional strategy that officials at BELTRAIDE hope will build on the achievements of the past year and propel them forward in the coming months. And to show everyone just where they intend to go, BELTRAIDE also launched its 2005-2006 action plan. Executive Director Lourdes Smith says that even though resources were tight, good old hard work and dedication made 2004 a productive year for BELTRAIDE… and she expects the forecast for 2005 to be similarly upbeat.

Lourdes Smith, Executive Director, BELTRAIDE
?The biggest things that we have done is what I term as building our infrastructure to move forward. What we?ve been doing in the past year, year and a half was the consultancies under the I.D.B.-BELTRAIDE project. And it started with the identification of the priority sectors for investment promotion, export promotion, and then we went on to do the trade promotion kit. Significant, I think, is our country image and food image branding logos, how we would be promoting Belize. ?Belize the natural niche? is going to be our statement from here on. And in terms of our exports for foods, it will be ?Belize Foods, Celebrating Quality.? And that will be utilised by all our exporters on their packaging and everything will really put the name forward of Belize.?

Patrick Jones
?Talk to me briefly now about the projections for the future. What will 2005 be like for BELTRAIDE??

Lourdes Smith
?One of the key things that we will be working on right now, but that?s really in 2005–we?ve started the process already and that?s a National Export Strategy. For our Export Promotion Department, the National Export Strategy is the key, the biggest project, that is going to take the focus because that will provide us with the strategy for promoting exports, for helping, doing the right things to get the most.?

Patrick Jones
?So basically BELTRAIDE continues to make business happen.?

Lourdes Smith
?We continue to make business happen and I have to commend the staff at BELTRAIDE because sometimes I walk into the office at 7:30 or 7 o?clock in the morning and find my investment people there already and my export promotion people already there. And then I leave late in the evening and some of them are still there working. And we are not asking them to stay and work, they are there working because they love what they do and it gives them great satisfaction that they know that we?re trying to move the country forward, and it?s happening.?