Belize Tourism Expo will be big
The Belize Tourism Expo (BETEX) is coming up next week. It’s a major tourism showcase that brings together local stakeholders with international travel agents to promote Belize as a tourism destination. BETEX is held every two years by the Belize Tourism Industry Association with planning assistance from Idea Lab studios and this year, it’s going to be a five day event, starting next Wednesday. The activities will include presentations, a marketplace day and other opportunities for networking and bringing in business for the tourism industry. B.T.I.A. Executive Director, Efren Perez, told News Five that the event is so big, the planning starts a year in advance.
Efren Perez, Executive Director, B.T.I.A.
“BETEX is one of the biggest trade shows that is organized by the Tourism Industry Association. The event is a five day event; it starts on Wednesday, the twenty-fifth of April. We have a huge opening ceremony at the House of Culture that’s being planned by the Belize Tourism Board. On Thursday morning we have the start of what will be a marketplace day at the Princess Hotel. We have over forty-eight different exhibitors from across the country; hoteliers, tour operators are going to be there meeting with about seventy-nine international travel wholesalers and we have approximately about six international media representatives also coming in. In years past what we did is we did specific desktop type presentations in different districts, but this year what we decided to do was centralize everything in Belize City so that our exhibitors, which are hotels and tour operators would have a greater opportunity to network with these agents coming in.”
Delahnie Bain
Efren Perez
“And what ultimately is the benefit to Belize’s tourism industry, having this event?”
Efren Perez
“The benefit is that we expose the country as is marketwise—I mean most of the agents coming in are new agents to Belize so they certainly will bring much more business to the country. Some of them coming in are repeat agents that come in and look at jumping on itineraries pretty much that would give them a different feel of a different location. So that on its own, they would be able to see more hotels and pretty much offer those to their clients abroad.”
Delahnie Bain
“Anything in the event this year is tapping into the whole Mayan theme for 2012?”
Efren Perez
“Oh, certainly. The opening ceremony is themed with the Mayan event. Mayan local cuisine will be served at the event and we’ll have Mayan dancers also available. Of course, although the entire opening is themed with the Maya, you have the second which is the Caribbean night in San Pedro and it’s going to be more an island type party event. So definitely agents coming in will be able to see both sides.”
BETEX will have offer training seminars to the international travel agents to give additional information on Belize.
