B.T.B.’s stats show Tourist Arrivals up
The Belize Tourism Board today announced the statistics for tourist arrivals in the fourth quarter of 2011 and the figures are record breaking for overnight visitors. There were a total of fifty-seven thousand, nine hundred and sixty-four overnight visitors, which reflects a six point five percent increase when compared to the same period in 2010. December’s twenty-six thousand nine hundred overnight tourists also made history. Arrivals via the Philip Goldson International airport were at a record high and for the most part, have shown a steady increase since 2008. In the fourth quarter of 2011, forty-two thousand and thirty-four airline visitors were recorded, an increase of nine percent compared to 2010. As for cruise ship arrivals, the figures were inconsistent throughout October, November and December 2011. In comparison to 2010, October saw a twenty-five point nine percent increase with thirty-nine, nine hundred and fifty-nine cruise visitors. November had a record high of ninety-two thousand, four hundred and sixteen, which is a thirty-two point one percent improvement. Meanwhile, December had a decline of eleven point five percent with ninety-six thousand, three hundred and sixty-seven. But according to the Minister of Tourism, Manuel Heredia, the industry has seen an overall increase in arrivals of almost twelve percent since 2008. He addressed the record breaking figures at a press conference in San Pedro today while the Belize Tourism Board’s Director of Quality Assurance, Laura Esquivel Frampton, spoke on the initiatives in place to keep arrivals on the increase.
Manuel Heredia
Manuel Heredia, Minister of Tourism
“For the first time in the history of Belize’s tourism, we have attained record overnight arrivals in three of the twelve months of last year; namely January, July and December of 2011. As a result of these top performing months, I am proud to say that 2011 will be recorded as only the second time in Belize’s history that we have exceeded two hundred and fifty thousand overnight arrivals.”
Laura Esquivel Frampton
Laura Esquivel Frampton, Director of Quality Assurance, B.T.B.
“The cruise sector has done very well for us even when our overnight sector was taking a dip. So we have the zone, we have to continue our negotiations with the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association and of course capacity building for our local stakeholders in the cruise sector. We are also working on—and there’s going to be training in March in cultural tourism for persons who are offering cultural tourism products, giving them training and also a small grants program that is coming through the IDB project and looking at health and safety standards and accompanying training throughout our sector. We also have to focus a lot on capacity building and training for our industry. 
We’ve revamped our tour guide certification course and should be giving that to the industry a little later this year so that we can begin new programs that focus on interpretive skills. Introduction of a new tour operator course; right now there is no course offered to persons who operate tours so we have created that groundwork and we are ready to roll out our first training in the summer. And we’re looking at quality enhancement training, customer service training; wait staff, bartending front desk and key to all of this is to get more trainers into the system.”
Tourism Minister, Manuel Heredia also announced at today’s press conference that starting early next year, Sunwing Airline of Canada will begin weekly direct flights to Belize.
This increase is truely commendable, as I am certain it translated to dollars trickling all the way down to the base of the pyramid, the grass roots where it is most needed.
Now come on all you haters and nay sayers, let me hear you put your evil twist on this positive achievement. More power, to the roots and less fortunate among us. Faawad!!
Heredia no even finish High School how can he interpret statistics, and know when a change is statistically significant or not. this crowd is producing staististics all over the place. we all know 2012 was the most murderous year in Belizean history, yet this UDP crowd takes the last 3 months that Barrow started paying gangmembers a salary and claiming they have reduced crime by 45%. this is ludicrous. but I can’t expect Heredia or Boots or Finne to understand statistical trends. they claim maternal mortality was 0, but what they don’t say is that infant mortality was at its highest. mothers from PG to San Ignacio to Corozal were all crying tha their newborn babies dies in hospitals due to negligence. spin that Louisville.
Belize boasts a whopping 582 licensed and active accommodation properties according to the BTB website..
250 thousand tourists in 2011 divided by 582 accommodations averages 429.55 guest per hotel per year or 1.17 guests per day.
Dismal occupancy levels by international standards.
Say the hotel charges $110. per night including the 9%tax ($100.92 for hotel owner). That would mean the hotel makes an average of $43,350.18 per year or monthly $3612.51.
Now deduct business tax, social security, workers wages, light & water bills, repairs, butane, gasoline, replacement of broken/stolen items, and other expenses.
Not much profit left for hotel owner. Now if the hotel is located in a low tourist area (like Corozal) that is not promoted by the BTB they will make even less money.
Yet the BTB goons think all hotels in Belize are rolling in money and making a fortune without calculating the reality of business.
Want to open a hotel in Belize. Think again.
Ok now all who blamed Barrow when toursim was done, just make sure you praise him now that it is up, and as for the rest of us, it is simply good news. Thank God the economy rebounded!
Freetowm Gyal, you make me feel like a prophet just knowing that individuals like you would have something negative to say about this increase in the tourism sector with all the problems in the Jewel notwithstanding.
Me thinks that party politics have clouded your vision and has your drawers in bunches.
Anyways, you and the rest of the voting public will get an opportunity to vent your pent up frustrations come march 7th. I hope you are not disappointed. Then again……I could not care any less. For Real!!
Thanks to the efforts of the former director of BTB who resigned in disgust with this administration and the incompetent Heredia.
Thanks to the efforts of the former director of BTB Celeni Matus who resigned in disgust with this administration and the incompetent Heredia.
When will the BTB release the details? No statistical updates since 2008 🙁