Belize ranks seventeenth most popular tourist destination
Over the years Belize has been able to sell itself to visitors with catchy terms such as “Mother Nature’s Best Kept Secret,” and “Make the Choice, Play a Role, Enhance the Tourism Experience”. And while tourism has been a major revenue earner, over the past few years the jewel has been experiencing a decline in visitor arrivals, both in overnight and cruise tourism. Reversing this trend against the backdrop of a global economic decline is top on the agenda for the tourism sector. Today at the Belize Tourism Board’s eleventh Annual Industry Presentation at the Belize Biltmore Plaza, the Board unveiled its strategy to keep Belize on the map. Marion Ali reports.
Marion Ali Reporting
Be one in Tourism, Be one with Belize” is the latest promotion with which the tourism sector hopes to expose Belize to the world. And the strides we make as a country will mean the difference between falling short or excelling in the fiercely competitive industry in a time of global recession.
Manuel Heredia, Minister of Tourism
“We are making sure that the way we develop, we develop in a positive way which it would be a balanced type of tourism between the environment and the economic part of it, and also a very important is the marketing and not just staying home and waiting for things to happen. We have to go abroad and get to the airlines, get to the tour operators, get to the different marketing people and that is the way we have been doing today.”
Tracy Panton, Director of Tourism
“We all acknowledge that it’s going to be a very difficult year. It’s going to take, as the Minister said, all hands on deck. We all have to roll up our sleeves, work around the clock to make sure that we can maintain our visitor numbers and also use this time to build new markets.”
Director of Tourism, Tracy Panton says it is the building of these new markets and visitor arrivals that has earned Belize a respectable ranking of seventeen among the top tourism destinations in the world.
Tracy Panton
“For a third world developing country, one of the less developed countries in the Caribbean I think that’s a significant statement of the work that we’ve been doing.”
Marion Ali
“How do we make sure that we stay on that same level as other countries continue to improve on their quality and services as well?”
Tracy Panton
“By doing the very things we say we’ll do; market and promote the country, build the infrastructure, build the human capital and develop the collaboration between our key partners.”
One of the partners with which Belize has been in close contact is Adventure Travel Trade Association, a publicity agency from Seattle Washington. President of that Association, Shannon Stowell, was brought to Belize to give a global perspective on adventure tours on Belize. And while Belize has many things going for her, Stowell says there are other areas that we need to pay keen attention to for greater diversity.
Shannon Stowell, Pres., Adventure Travel Trade Assoc.
“I’ve only been here a few days but my observation is that I think creating more clear opportunities for adventure travelers like being able to mountain bike, maybe mountain bike on the trails, maybe more multi-sport adventures where you get to see both the archaeological ruins and you can do diving, combination and those probably exist but maybe more awareness of that. A common problem everywhere, some of the basic stuff like making sure sites are cleaned up and making sure that litter is kept to a minimum, but that’s a problem everywhere.”
But while there are a few areas we need to improve upon, the investments that are abound, are expected to fortify Belize’s tourism way past the current economic constraints.
Manuel Heredia
“I can definitely assure that after this economic recession I’m very sure that you will start to see a lot of new other things happening in Belize and a lot more people coming to Belize also.”
Reporting for News Five, Marion Ali.
The B.T.B. faces a deficit of six hundred thousand dollars which the board intends to balance off shortly through court litigation to recover hotel taxes which are estimated to triple their deficit. The remaining funds are earmarked for marketing and product development. A loan of fifteen million dollars from the I.D.B. for infrastructure development at the Tourism Village in San Pedro, San Ignacio and Placencia is expected to come on stream soon.
