Tourists arrivals up for 10th straight month
The “slow” season for Belizean tourism has been anything but, as July airport arrivals show a twenty percent increase over last year. Ten thousand, nine hundred and thirty-eight tourists arrived at the PGIA in July compared to nine thousand, one hundred and thirteen in July of 1999. According to the Belize Tourism Board, it is the tenth consecutive month of double-digit growth. Cumulative figures for 2000 show an impressive 27.2 percent increase over last year. Mike Panton, Vice President of the Belize Tourism Industry Association, attributes the good news to a number of successful marketing strategies.
Mike Panton, V.P, BTIA
“Well, I can put it to the fact that there was some serious marketing that’s being done through the Ministry of Tourism in consultation with us since February of this year. According to the marketing agents, they have seen some increase in interests from writers, agents and all different parts of the United States.”
Jacqueline Woods
“Do you believe that the entire country is feeling the effect or only certain places?”
Mike Panton, V.P, BTIA
“Well I can tell you that members from all different parts of the country are quite excited about it and are preparing for the increase when it comes on. We are also working on a programme for training and getting our workers and our members all set to deal with the increase.”
Jacqueline Woods
“Mister Panton, do you believe that the increase is sustainable and that it will continue?”
Mike Panton
“I believe it is sustainable and it all depends on the fact that when these people get here, we will have to make sure that the product is to the level that they would expect in coming to a country like Belize. We are working very hard to make sure that we can deliver quality service to these people when they get here.”
“One of the big improvements we think we need is in the quality of personnel that we have working in our industry. They need to understand that there is a big difference in being a servant as oppose to delivering a service. In delivering a service, one can do that with all the pride that’s necessary. Also the fact is that when these people come here, they come to enjoy our customs, our culture and we can incite them to enjoy this with quite a bit of pride.”
BTB says cruise tourism has also increased by a whopping four hundred percent during the past two years. Government, through a loan from the Inter-American Development Bank, is undertaking a twenty-eight million Belize dollar Tourism Development Project. The work will include the upgrading of major Mayan sites. A two million dollar tourism training programme is also scheduled and there are plans to extend the runway at the PGIA. The private sector is keeping pace with investments as there are some two hundred and fifty new hotel rooms under construction and a major five hundred room hotel development will soon get underway in North Ambergris Caye. BTB says projections for both the overnight tourist category and cruise tourism are strong for the remainder of the year and into 2001.