Up to 8,000 cruise visitors okay

In all the election excitement this week’s Cabinet meeting didn’t get much notice, but members of Belize’s tourism industry might want to log on to the Press Office’s website and check out the new cruise ship policy. The policy increases the visitation limit at the Belize City Port to eight thousand people per day and revises licenses and fees, and “puts responsibility on stakeholders to increase the level of standards of services offered to their clients.” It also tackles problems with the city itself, urging both the Belize City Council and Central Government to address issues of aesthetics and cleanliness in order to take advantage of the potential economic impact on the city. According to the Caribbean Tourism Organization based in Barbados, Belize is the fastest growing cruise ship destination in the region. Port agents representing the various cruise lines show that arrivals will surpass the half million mark in 2003.