I am a Belizean Traveller; Are You?
The Belize Tourism Board officially launched its Belizean Traveller Campaign, which encourages Belizeans to be tourists in their own country. It is a joint venture between the B.T.B. and the Belize Hotel Association. The aim is to allow Belizeans to enjoy attractive discounts being offered by the industry. It is also to highlight what Belize has to offer as perfect vacation packages for the entire family, promote Belize’s cultures, traditions and folklore and to tap into your adventurous side. News Five’s Duane Moody was at the launch and tells us more about how to win a great vacation package for you and your loved ones.
Duane Moody, Reporting
I am a Belizean Traveller; Are You? It’s the newest campaign launched by the Belize Tourism Board to motivate domestic tourism. In Belize, tourism trends are changing and the B.T.B. says that the peak season is longer where tourism is growing locally and internationally. The campaign has been ongoing for the past four years and last year, six winners were chosen to travel to the various regions across the country. This year, a four-thousand-dollar package is up for grabs in the Belizean Traveller initiative.
Jocelle Stephen
Jocelle Stephen, Marketing and Industry Relations Manager, B.T.B.
“This year we wanted it to be more digitally focused so we wanted to enhance all the marketing materials that we have. You may recall over the years, we had an ad that ran for quite a number of times and it is seven ads that highlights the seven regions. But we wanted to be a bit more dynamic in our approach, so we wanted to say to the Belizean public who are the Belizean travellers and what they do. So this year, we decided to launch three new videos to showcase what the family does on a vacation, what friends, the millennials, do on a vacation and then what the romantic couple can do. So we showed those videos today, we launched those videos and it actually speaks the message “I am a Belizean traveller; are you?”
So how do you get an opportunity to win?
Jocelle Stephen
“We are asking you the public to just send us a forty-five seconds video that simply says what is my ideal vacation as a Belizean traveller. Say that in forty-five seconds to us and once you meet the criteria—no obscene language, no profanity, it is forty-five seconds, that you are a Belizean resident or a citizen—then the first five videos that meet our criteria are uploaded to our Facebook, Belizean Traveller page. Now once your video is uploaded, you will be notified by email that your video is uploaded. Now it is on you to now get genuine likes, get shares, get loves, wows, whatever and the video at the end of October that has the most likes and shares is the winner of a vacation worth four thousand dollars. Once again, you decide where you want to go, what you want to do as long as it fits within that four thousand dollars, then we’re good.”
As part of the campaign, performing artist Marlyn Vansen has been chosen as social media influencer. Vansen normally travels the country for performances, but will get an opportunity to engage in many activities and relax as a tourist in Belize.
Marlyn Vansen, Social Media Influencer, Belizean Traveller Campaign
“I’ve been travelling for the past couple years recently and I’ve been blowing up a little and I am getting known more and more so I had the opportunity of going to new places and stuff like that for performing. So travelling has been really just work for me. So I am really excited to get this break where I can go and relax a little on behalf of the B.T.B. staff. So I am really excited; it is an awesome opportunity and I am all for it. I am totally looking forward to all the activities that I am going to be doing. I am going to be snorkelling and river tubing; I have never done these things before. I am really excited to be doing new things and experiencing these fun stuff that they have planned for me.”
Marlyn Vansen
Duane Moody
“So part of it is that people need to follow you so that you can see because you will be documenting the experience.”
Marlyn Vansen
“Yes that’s a part of the thing. I am the Belizean social media influencer for this campaign; are you a Belizean traveller. And so I am going to be travelling and documenting these things through pictures and videos and stuff like that. So make sure you follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube; I am going to be posting a lot. And yeah, join me on this journey as I be a Belizean travellers and I am hoping that my pictures and my videos will influence you guys to want to be Belizean travellers as well.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
