Biltmore opens cabaret for cruise tourists
While regional governments are joining forces to promote tourism, local entrepreneurs are developing new activities for all those visitors to experience once they’re here. Today, the press was invited for a sneak preview of a Belize City attraction that, according to News 5’s Jacqueline Woods, received rave reviews.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
The press release from the Belize Biltmore Plaza calls A Belizean Cabaret “incredible pageantry of colour, sight and sound.” And guess what? That description is not far off.
The thirty-minute show scheduled to start in October is primarily for Belize City’s growing number of cruise ship tourists, and will be held at the Biltmore’s River Hall. According to the hotel’s entertainment manager, Karen Vernon, they decided to do the show after the National Institute of Culture and History encouraged major hotels to get more involved in the tourism industry.
Karen Vernon, Entertainment Mgr., Belize Biltmore Plaza
“The show idea came the hotel management in keeping up with NICH’s promise to get the cultural aspect of Belize out there to foreigners.”
Jacqueline Woods
“What will it consist of?”
Karen Vernon
“It will consist of different cultures of Belize, the Maya, Garifuna, Creole and Mestizo featuring dance and music.”
“We plan to run it two, three times a day depending on how hectic the cruise season. It’s like a tour that you could go to Altun Ha, you could go to one of the locations we have here. So this will be included as one of those, so it will be paid for when they pay for their cruise ship.”
“The dancers came mainly through Greg Vernon, who is the choreographer. Some of them are from the Dance Company. Some of them, the drummers, are from the Dance Company, I think one of the dancers dances with the Belize Dance Company and the others we got through Greg Vernon.”
A Belizean Cabaret will initially run in the hotel’s River Hall, but Vernon says a permanent venue will be built in their Tropical Gardens. Jacqueline Woods for News 5.
Although the show will not officially get underway until next month, it premiered at the Governor General’s annual State Reception on September twentieth.
