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Belize’s land borders are also to remain closed indefinitely. PM Barrow pointed to a spike in coronavirus cases in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. Those countries which abut Belize in the north, west, and south, respectively, have seen significant increases in reported cases of COVID-19 over the past week alone, forcing government to further postpone the […]
Written on May 29, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on All Borders Remain Closed Indefinitely
The tourism industry is a major player of the economy, driving job creation and foreign exchange. But COVID-19 has severely affected the industry, causing massive layoffs. As a first step to restart the industry, domestic tourism is heavily promoted, but that sector contributes in the range of five percent to the overall sector and there […]
Written on May 26, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on NCL Lays Off Close to 300 Employees at Harvest Caye
The economic news continues to be grim; the unprecedented impact and the effects of the novel coronavirus are reverberating throughout the economy. In fact, even before the crisis hit Belize, businesses were having trouble balancing their budgets. As we have reported, this week’s layoffs in the local airline industry are unparalleled, as the industry struggles […]
Written on May 21, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Bus Industry is at the End of its Tether
Tourism was the first sector to start showing the impacts of COVID-19. Hotels and resorts in prime tourism destinations such as Placencia, San Pedro, Caye Caulker, Hopkins and the Cayo District, have been sending people home. Every aspect, including taxi operators and hair braiders are without jobs and the agro-processing sector, which supplies products to […]
Written on May 21, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Tourism Stakeholders Need G.O.B. to Help with Accessing Long Term Low Interest Loans
As you know, with the ease of restrictions, domestic tourism is being promoted as a first step to open up the industry. Stakeholders are offering great deals for Belizeans to travel across the country. Now, domestic tourism provides not more than ten percent of the revenue generated by the industry; international tourists make up ninety […]
Written on May 21, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Local Tourism Won’t Make Money, But Will Likely Boost Morale
Last week, Prime Minister Dean Barrow announced a tentative date for the reopening of the Philip Goldson International Airport to allow for international visitors to resume travel to Belize. July first is the earliest date on which the airport can reopen. Director of Health Services, Doctor Marvin Manzanero says that the reopening of this port […]
Written on May 19, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Reopening the P.G.I.A. Will Pose a Challenge…
While health experts foresee challenges with the reopening of the Philip Goldson International Airport, there is optimism at the Belize Tourism Board about international tourists being able to return to the Jewel. In fact, they have launched the dear Belize website that allows for persons in the main markets for the country—the U.S., Canada and […]
Written on May 19, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on …But B.T.B. Keeping International Visitors Engaged
With the borders and the international airport still closed, local tourism is being promoted across the country as a first step before international visitors begin making their way back to Belize. On May fifteenth, the B.T.B. launched its plan to have heads in bed as the tourism industry attempts to rebound from COVID-19. Here is […]
Written on May 19, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Belizean Traveller Campaign is Launched to Boost Domestic Tourism
As the Belize Tourism Board promotes local tourism, it is also getting ready for the day when international visitors arrive at the P.G.I.A. It is collaborating with the Ministry of Health, the Belize Hotel Association and other industry partners to develop a property manual that will ensure that hotels and resorts put in place sanitation […]
Written on May 19, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on B.T.B. Developing a Property Manual for Hotels/Resorts
As Belize records another day without an active case of COVID-19, the public gets a relief on some of the restrictions. One of the big changes is the allowance of district to district movement. The Attorney General, who spoke at length this afternoon, explains the relaxation of this restriction and what is expected of you […]
Written on May 14, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on You Can Now Travel Outside of Your District!
International travel has come to a halt with the closing of the international airport and borders in almost every country. Here in Belize, ports of entries remain close, only cargo is allowed and only citizens from other countries are allowed to travel out of Belize. This week, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines announced that international flights to the region […]
Written on May 14, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Multimillion-Dollar Question: When Will the P.G.I.A. Recommence Operations?
Belize, along with Barbados and Bahamas, is being cited as the three countries in the Caribbean region hardest hit in the tourism industry by the COVID-19 pandemic. We know that the borders will remain closed until the end of June, which means that airline travel is not in the works before then. Cruise ships schedules […]
Written on May 12, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Reopening Local Tourism; Great Deals for Belizeans to Overnight at Hotels Across the Country
Local tourists only contribute to ten percent of the revenues collected by hoteliers across the country; the bulk of its income is made by international tourists who would take advantage of multiple packages. In our one-on-one interview with Belize Hotel Association President Ted Tejada, he agreed that our borders should remain close due to the […]
Written on May 12, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on When Will Belize Open Up to International Tourists?
It is expected that later this week, restaurants at hotels as well as pools will now be allowed to be open to guests. Belize Hotel Association President and General Manager of the Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza, Ted Tejada told News Five that he has been informed by the Prime Minister that starting this weekend […]
Written on May 12, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Hotel Restaurants & Pool to Be Reopened to Guests
The tourism industry in Belize collapsed as soon as COVID-19 began to spread in the region. As early as January of this year, hoteliers began experiencing cancellations in reservations and by March, hotels and resorts were empty as guests returned to their countries of origin. The industry has been at a standstill and the nine […]
Written on May 12, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on A Guideline for Hotels/Resorts Going Forward with COVID-19
One last issue on the tourism industry…In his press conference last week, Prime Minister Dean Barrow spoke about the repatriation of Belizeans stranded in other countries. They are expected to return to the country by the end of May. But we are told that securing hotels rooms has become a problem to quarantine the returning […]
Written on May 12, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Are Hoteliers Willing to Accept Repatriated Belizeans for Quarantine Period?
The opening up of the country for Belizeans to move freely to other local destinations can start as early as next week. But that brings about the question of a pending date when the country will officially reopen for overnight and cruise tourism arrivals. There is a possibility that visitors can begin arriving as early […]
Written on May 8, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Tourism Industry May Reopen as Early as July
Even before a first case of the novel coronavirus was detected in Belize, the pandemic shattered the tourism industry. Airline and cruise tourism came to a standstill with cancelations fast and furious; thousands of Belizeans began losing their jobs and by the beginning of March, hotel rooms across the country were empty. During our interview […]
Written on May 8, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on John Briceño Says G.O.B. Should Have Listened to Warnings on Investment in Tourism Industry
Earlier this week, we reported that Harvest Caye was being put up as part of several collaterals for the financially embattled Norwegian Cruise Line to float a bond of two billion U.S. dollars to kick start its operations in August. The Florida-based company did not consult with or inform the Government of Belize that it […]
Written on May 8, 2020 | Posted in
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Regional / International,
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Comments Off on PM Weighs in on Harvest Caye
What is the future of Harvest Caye in southern Belize? As you know, the novel coronavirus wreaked havoc in the entire tourism industry across the globe, when no sail orders were imposed and cancellations came fast and furious. This morning, one of the biggest investors in the local industry, Norwegian Cruise Lines, said it sees […]
Written on May 5, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Norwegian Cruise Lines Warns of Possible Bankruptcy
San Pedro is prime destination and tourism is the number one revenue generator for the Belizean economy but it will be the last sector to be reopened as the country rebounds from the COVID-19 crisis. According to Prime Minister Barrow, the uncertainty of testing visitors arriving in Belize once the borders and airports are reopened […]
Written on April 30, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Tourism Will Be Last Sector to Reopen
With Belize’s tourism industry on life support and hoteliers going out of business, one of the changes to the regulations is that hotels can resume business. But there is a caveat because no international bookings will be allowed and the idea is to allow Belizeans to be tourists in their own country, in a stricter […]
Written on April 30, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Hotels Can Now Open but for Only Local Guests
COVID-19 has the Belize economy in a chokehold and while the government struggles to breathe, a long list of businesses countrywide are forced to shut down and lay off employees. The transportation industry has been hit hard. Bus operator, Westline, in a memo dated April twenty-fourth informed its staff of layoffs due to redundancy and […]
Written on April 27, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Westline Layoffs Personnel Due to COVID-19
On Saturday afternoon the news of the countrywide suspension of bus service took off like wildfire online. That’s because there was an announcement made by the Belize Bus Association. The decision, according President Thomas Shaw, was taken after unanimously by its members following the closure of the terminals on the Saturday morning. The bus operators, […]
Written on April 6, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Bus Service – Ceased or Reduced?
So – the decision was a suspension of bus service countrywide which was to go into effect on Sunday. But a few hours later, James Bus Line and West Line issued notices that they were keeping their buses on the road. A few other bus operators are operating on a limited schedule out of the […]
Written on April 6, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on When is the COVID-19 Bus Relief Coming?
