Tourist arrivals up for July

Tourist arrivals at the Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport were up nine percent in July compared to last year. The Immigration Department reports there were nine thousand one hundred and thirteen visitors last month compared to eight thousand three hundred and seventy-one in July of 1998. Cruise ship arrivals are also being tracked with over 18 thousand visitors coming to Belize on cruise ships during the first half of 1999, compared to only 14 thousand for the whole of 1998. The Belize Tourism Board says their goal is to increase tourism year round, closing the gap between the high and low seasons. The low season is generally considered to be May to November.