Over 180 Tour Operators Benefited from B.T.B.’s Fuel Subsidy Program

The Belize Tourism Board’s fuel subsidy program that created an ease for tour operators during the roughest months of the global fuel price hike has expired. The program, introduced in September, assisted more than a hundred and eighty tour operators across the country for four months. And just as the program came to an end, the price of fuel at the pumps dipped significantly, as Castaneda pointed out.

Abil Castaneda

Abil Castaneda, Dir., Quality Management, Capacity Development, Cruise, B.T.B.

“We were able to assist over a hundred and eighty tour operators during a period of four months. That program closed at the end of November, and it is deemed a great success. We’ve gotten great feedback from our tour operators. They were very appreciative of the support, especially during the low season when business is not all that high. They’re asking whether or not we will do another one but that’s up to the executive. At the end of the day, that was really to assist them because of the increases we were seeing in fuel prices due to the global inflation. I think that was one of the most innovative approaches that any country took in trying to assist the tourism sector in our region and we were very happy to be able to roll that out. We were able to work with a series of different field stations which we have already expressed our gratitude for and also to Sol Belize that assisted us as well in providing the fuel cards that they used. Now they’re back to paying full price for fuel but I saw that right before Christmas, there was a reduction of the fuel prices as well so I’m sure that is also well-received.”