Hotels: they are one of the pillars of Belize’s tourism industry, but they don’t operate in a vacuum. Today at the bi-annual general meeting of the Belize Hotel Association, Minister of Tourism Godfrey Smith laid out his vision of where hotels fit into the bigger hospitality picture. Afterwards he was asked specifically if Belize has […]
Something is going on at the Williamson sewing factory … and it doesn’t look good. Rumours have swirled for months suggesting the imminent closing of the U.S. owned garment assembly plant but company officials, both here and in the United States, have refused to comment. There silence has merely served to heighten concerns that the […]
While armed robbery is one downside of operating a business these days, across the country, companies are complaining about another reality: contraband. While customs officials have tried to cut down the illegal trading, business on the black market is booming. Today, one local producer stepped forward to highlight the impact contraband has had on its […]
New businesses, large and small, seem to pop up in Belize every day … and nearly just as many seem to disappear shortly after. While there are many factors that influence the success or failure of a business venture, proper planning is perhaps the most important. Today a publication was launched that should give investors […]
The Ministry of National Development has announced the confirmation of a grant from the European Development Fund of thirty-two point five million Belize dollars. The allocation, which includes a twenty percent increase from the original estimate, will be channelled into rural development. In addition to the main grant, an additional one point six million dollars […]
For the past week, Herbert Lord’s name has been praised … and cursed … in equal measure for his decision to publish an independent report of findings and recommendations following his investigations as a member of the Commission of Inquiry into the Development Finance Corporation. But today Justice Lord maintained that his action was not […]
From its start, the Commission of Inquiry into the Development Finance Corporation has had a rough time, particularly when Chairman David Price died, leaving the two remaining Commissioners to co-chair the remainder of the proceedings. As odd a couple as Herbert Lord and Merlene Bailey-Martinez may have appeared, no one thought they would have wound […]
It may seem odd that a government department that took in one hundred and eighty-six million dollars of consumer’s money in the last twelve months might try to keep that information on the down low, but leave it to our good friends at the General Sales Tax office to actually make us happy to pay […]
Credit Unions may be known as the poor man’s bank, but when you add up their collective resources they are a major factor in Belize’s economy … and that influence is likely to grow. Jacqueline Godwin, Reporting Today, the Belize Credit Union League has reason to celebrate, because after almost two decades the country’s largest […]
Yesterday it was free fill in Port Loyola; today’s pre-election bonus is a big break on your mortgage. According to a release from Cabinet, that body has decided to subsidise all those people paying D.F.C. housing loans of less than thirty-five thousand dollars. That subsidy will be one hundred dollars per month. According to the […]
Once again the adage that “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” has proved true. In this case the squeaker was Belize City Mayor Zenaida Moya who complained to the press on Tuesday that two months worth of head tax money due to the council for April and May had not been delivered by central government. […]
Which company in Belize is the nation’s most profitable? If you guessed B.T.L. you’d be wrong. If you guessed B.E.L. you’d be warmer but still wrong. The correct answer is B.B. Holdings. That’s the parent company of the Belize Bank, and its latest annual report is showing a twenty-six point eight percent increase in net […]
It is often joked that in the hierarchy of untruths there are three categories: lies, damn lies, and statistics. With such a widespread belief that official numbers are not to be trusted, it’s no wonder that efforts are being made to beef up the credibility of our statisticians. As News Five’s Kendra Griffith reports, some […]
Belizean shrimp farmers, who have suffered through several years of depressed world prices caused by low cost Asian competition, received some very good news today. Following revelations of contaminated pet food, toothpaste and toys exported from China, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has banned the importation of Chinese shrimp and four types of fish. […]
With the controversy over taxation and environmental concerns largely resolved, Belize’s fledgling petroleum industry has been absent from the headlines. But while the rhetoric has cooled, the wells, pumps, and tanker trucks have been running steadily … to the point where crude oil just may be the nation’s largest single export. News Five’s Janelle Chanona […]
Ever since oil was discovered at Spanish Lookout two years ago, Belizeans have speculated, debated, and even demonstrated over how to deal with this new found resource. But the story of petroleum in Belize dates back a lot farther then August of 2005 … and today an exhibit opened at the Museum of Belize that […]
And while Belize’s crude oil is already being used in the agriculture and construction sectors, the rest of us continue to feel pain at the pump. At midnight last Friday, the price of premium gasoline hit the ten dollar mark yet again. Regular is not far behind at nine dollars and ninety cents a gallon […]
And in yet more petroleum news, Belizean officials today met with a two-man delegation from P.D.V. Caribe, the Venezuelan state company promoting regional cooperation in fuel distribution. According to a Press Office release, the discussions reviewed the impact of previous grants from Venezuela and proposals for ten million U.S. dollars in new funding. Also covered […]
Belize will never be mistaken for France, California, Chile, Australia or any other major wine producing nation, but if one businessman has his way, the “made in Belize” label on his local creations will at least be greeted with respect. News Five’s Janelle Chanona reports. Mervin Skeen, Bel-Mer Winery “I think this is like a […]
Last week on this newscast we alerted holders of Visa cards that the charges on their foreign purchases were being inflated by one percent and that every U.S. dollar they spent was costing them a total of two dollars and eight cents Belize. Tonight we’ve got news for all credit card holders who have been […]
It’s not a new story, but if you’ve ever been swindled by a bogus blue note, you’ll agree it’s an important one. Yes, counterfeit currency is still around and here’s a reminder to be on the lookout. Jacqueline Godwin, Reporting These two one-hundred dollar bills look very similar, but a closer inspection of the notes […]
With tourism growing solidly in Belize, those involved in the industry are always trying to find ways to improve what the country has to offer. And with funding from the Inter-American Development Bank, the Belize Tourism Board and Belize Tourism Industry Association launched one such project in 2005, entitled Improving Small Business Competitiveness in the […]
The Belize Press Office today confirmed that Financial Secretary Carla Barnett has resigned. Her increasing discomfort with government’s lack of candour over the U.H.S. loan guarantee had been rumoured for weeks and the Prime Minister’s failure to inform her of the multimillion dollar commitments appear to have been the last straw for the veteran public […]
Anyone who reads the newspapers each week cannot help but observe the endless pages of foreclosure notices against borrowers by their respective financial institutions, most notably the D.F.C. And while it’s not surprising to find an occasional friend or well known person on the list of unfortunates, this weekend’s Amandala newspaper contained a shocker: The […]
It’s been an issue on the backburner of the B.T.L. stove, but this morning attorneys representing Michael Ashcroft and Jeffrey Prosser were back in court, with both men laying claim to the chairmanship of the telecommunications company’s board. The private session was held in the chambers of Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh but we can tell […]
