Tourism industry hosts travel trade
On yesterday’s newscast we reported that the tourism statistics so far this year were looking good…and today we found out one major reason why: marketing. This morning I visited the industry’s latest effort to woo the international travel trade and learned that the personal touch pays off.
Janelle Chanona, Reporting
It?s called the Belize Tourism Expo: Marketplace and Expedition, and what it does is provide local tour operators, hoteliers and other industry stakeholders the opportunity to sit down face to face with international partners to sell their product: Belize.
Suzette Gibson, Belize Hotel Association Administrator
?They come and they do business for the first two days. Then for the following three days they actually go visit the destinations, visit the sites, do a little bit of diving and snorkelling and see what we really have to offer.?
After seven years off the tourism calendar, this year?s Expo exhibitors went above and beyond the call of duty in making their booths tempting to the travel agents touring the room.
In all, ninety-one Belizean destinations set up displays and one hundred and fourteen travel agents, wholesalers and members of the international press showed up. According to local companies, BETEX will keep help their rooms and tour buses full.
Lascelle Tillett, Director, S and L Travel and Tours
?It expose us to new customers and it also makes us get in touch with existing customers so that we could get a chance to show our beautiful country.?
?We attend most of the European shows, either me or my wife. We go to Berlin, to London, to the WTM and we do this same thing, all over the world.?
Priscilla Karas, Belize Lodge and Excursions
?It is very beneficial, you know, because they are bringing all the wholesalers and the travel agents here and it?s giving us an opportunity to market our business instead of going abroad. So I think that?s the best thing, but I mean we do go abroad but it?s very expensive so this is very good for us.?
?It?s hard when you?re on the phone and you?re trying to tell them what you are selling, but they can?t really picture it until they get there. So it is good to have the visits.?
But while this latest effort and an aggressive advertising and public relations campaign will bring new waves of visitors to our shores, it?s now up to agencies like the Belize Tourism Board to make sure that the country has the capacity to deal with the increases.
Tracy Panton, Director, BTB
?The current infrastructure that we have in place are primarily small, upscale, very boutique type properties and that limits us as far as the markets we can attract to Belize. I think it is time that we look at having a little bit more bigger properties here in Belize and in strategic locations. So we can cater to the conference market, or the incentives market. We can tap into Europe a little bit better. Europeans require room blocks, which we are not able to provide at this time and we do need to diversify our markets. Primarily right now, eighty percent of our tourism comes from the U.S. and Canada and we need to look at other markets, Europe and Asia and certainly the Region.?
And plans are already underway to branch out into those markets with Delta airlines? inaugural flight set to arrive in the country in December. But back on the ground, on Thursday afternoon, members of the public are invited to see for themselves what Belize has to offer them.
Elated by the success of BETEX 2004, organizers are already planning the next show.
Lucy Flemming, Vice President, BTIA
?Our next date will be in 2006 and we?re looking at May. We?ll get something up on the internet very soon; probably by the end of the year which will give us enough sales time. And we think this will definitely be a go and we have enough confidence that this is a good trade show for Belize and a very good time to immerse our international sales people in our product.?
The Belize Tourism Expo is being held at the Princess Hotel and Casino. As we mentioned earlier, the show will be open to the public from 2pm to 6pm on Thursday.
