The Official Launch of Margaritaville Beach Resort
Back in March of this year, there was a soft launch of the Margaritaville Beach Resort on the north side of Ambergris Caye, Belize. Fast track to today, partners, as well as media and social media influencers from Belize and abroad, were invited to the fully realised property with amenities to host close to two hundred persons at any given point. A ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the official opening of the resort. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.
Duane Moody, Reporting
Margaritaville Beach Resort Belize is a thirty-minute boat ride north from the center of San Pedro Town. It is on a secluded beach and features luxury condos and high-end facilities on its property. Establishing the world renowned brand in Belize began years ago, was delayed by the pandemic, but now it is fully open to tourists – international and Belizean alike.
Kenya Guzman
Kenya Guzman, General Manager, Margaritaville Belize
“We needed to do a soft opening in order to make sure that everything was exactly the way that we wanted it and now we are ready to launch this amazing resort to the world. And we are expecting to receive a lot of visitors – local and international. We are focused more on families and people that want to get away from all the noise and stress that the city and the large city is about and get immersed in this tranquil atmosphere and enjoy the peaceful and everything that you can disconnect about all the devices that kind of keep us crazy all the time and just connect again with nature, connect again with yourself, your relatives with your family, with your loved ones and be able to become a different person once you visit Margarita and once you leave. And we want you to fall in love with Margaritaville Belize, Belize itself and to have returning guests every single year.”
Having recently completed a successful Belize Investment Summit on Ambergris Caye several weeks ago, Prime Minister John Briceño says that the introduction of Margaritaville will have a positive impact on the economy.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“It puts us on the map. Belize is made up of a lot of boutique hotels and now here we have a name brand that opens a different market. Many people, especially Americans, when they are looking up about Belize and say where they could stay and they see Margaritaville, we know Margaritaville so they want to come here. And by coming here, they get to know Belize and they spread the word. So I think it’s a wonderful thing and the investors, people like Michael Bowen and his team need to be congratulated to have the vision and also to have the courage to make such a substantial investment on the island of Ambergris Caye and then to partner up with the late Jimmy Buffet and his group to come with Margaritaville.”
Over seventy-five persons are employed at this time, but as the high season begins, employment is expected to increase to one hundred and fifty.
Wally Nunez
Wally Nunez, Mayor, San Pedro
“We welcome them because we know that it brings investment and job opportunities for our locals, so it is very important for us to have these resorts to open here on the island. Especially when it comes to brands, it brings a lot of tourists to the island and it promotes our country in general as well.”
C.E.O. in the Ministry of Tourism and Diaspora Relations Nicole Solano says that visitor experience is top on the priorities for destination management.
Nicole Solano
Nicole Solano, C.E.O., Ministry of Tourism & Diaspora Relations
“We have about nine hundred hotels, nine thousand rooms – that’s an average of ten rooms per property so our industry is built on small hotels. We cherish that, we want to maintain that, we want to keep that going. But there is space for larger properties; in fact, we need them. We need larger properties, we need brands and so the importance of a brand like Margaritaville or any other brand – we have several brands in Belize and we are trying to attract more. We don’t want to turn into a destination that is full of brands, but having a handful of brands is very important to us. We’d be able to expand our markets, destination management for Belize as well can benefit from branded hotels. So it is very important for us to seek that and support that. We know that travellers today are looking for authentic experiences, but at the same time they want infrastructure that is put in place that is focused on convenience for them, that is high quality and that they can come and have that confidence and enjoy their stay. So infrastructure means not only hotels, but all the ancillary services surrounding hotels. So your restaurants, your tour operators, even your tour guides, the people have to be highly trained in order to be able to deliver high service excellence. So those are the main areas that we are looking at right now in addition to hotel infrastructure.”
General Manager Kenya Guzman invites everyone to come unwind.
Kenya Guzman
“People has to travel all over the world and come to this paradise. The nature, the fact that you are able to swim with the sharks to experience the nature at reality is something unique and it is something that you will not have in any other country in the world. So that is why people have to come to Belize and get the chance to experience this island life that will change you from within and out. This is amazing. Your country is just one of a kind and people need to come and visit and enjoy what Belize is all about. So welcome to Belize and welcome to Margaritaville.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
