Overnight and Cruise Tourism are Responsible for Economic Turnaround

The travel and leisure industry continues to be the primary source of profit for the country, as well as the number one contributor to its Gross Domestic Product.  Prime Minister Barrow is touting the turnaround in performance of the economy, attributing it to the expansion of tourism.  The PM shares the most recent outlook on the state of the industry heading into the 2018 high season. 

Dean Barrow

Prime Minister Dean Barrow

“The biggest driver of this dramatically improved economic performance and trajectory is tourism.  Props to the minister and to the director of B.T.B. and all those in the industry.  Overnight arrivals this year have been up every single month over the corresponding month for 2017 and by end December, the year on year increase will be just shy of eleven percent.  This continues the record setting phenomenon of an unbroken ten-year stretch of a year-over-year Belize tourism growth with that growth being double digit for each of the last three years.  With major new investments in hotel construction and additional airlifts as we witnessed the direct flights from Mexico starting, I believe, next month and from Minnesota by December, this trend is only expected to get better.  And it is the same story with cruise tourism, as of September, cruise passenger arrivals are nineteen point nine percent over the same period for 2017.”