The month-long state of emergency is on its second day and includes a restriction on all out-district travel. With Easter vacation only a week away, plans to visit other parts of the country have since been dashed. With the fourth confirmed case of coronavirus not being classified as an imported instance, stricter measures are being […]
The National Oversight Committee, a multi-agency taskforce chaired by Prime Minister Dean Barrow and Opposition Leader John Briceño, has together agreed that all frontier points and ports of entry must be closed to Belizeans seeking to return to the country. It’s the latest directive given to the respective border agencies and, according to PM Barrow, […]
With the tourism industry at a virtual standstill due to COVID19, the Belize Tourism Board is offering a tax break to hotels across the country. Hoteliers are to first submit their Monthly Accommodation Tax Returns and Guest Registration Forms for the month March on the B.T.B. Online Portal. The B.T.B. will proceed to apply a […]
There is no definitive period to say when the COVID-19 pandemic will be over, but most people agree that it will take months for economic activity to normalize. In the meantime, the COVID-19 contagion continues all over the world. Spain today reported the highest number of deaths in one day and the number of cases […]
All entry points into the country were closed on March twenty-third except for cargo. As you know commercial flights, cruise ships have been suspended and the movement across the borders is restricted. But a number of Belizeans were not able to make it back home at the time the measure came into effect. On average, […]
Public transportation is necessary for the movement of people who go to work or shop. Ewart Metzgen says that one of the requests being made by the Belize Bus Association is for the government to subsidize fuel in order for the bus operations to meet the operational cost. Ewart Metzgen, Secretary, BBA “We are […]
Bryton Codd returned home from Canada on March seventeenth; at the time, that country had seventeen confirmed cases of COVID-19 and schools were closing as a form of containment. On arrival, however, Codd says, he had concerns on the screening process he observed at the Philip Goldson International Airport and the risky behaviour of persons […]
Earlier this week transport authorities met with the Belize Bus Association and other bus officials to discuss the movement of persons across the country. Several large operators closed off their operations while others scaled back on their runs because of COVID-19 concerns. That meeting saw the introduction of new measures in response to the interruption […]
Several large bus operators announced that they were halting services between their base and Belize City. Others have decided to reduce the number of buses operating, so they have adjusted their schedules. The decision was met with concern and praises online. Today, we spoke with Secretary of the Belize Bus Association, Ewart Metzgen, who shed […]
Tourism industries across the world continue to crumble due to the devastating effects of COVID-19. While Belize remains without a confirmed case, the tourism industry here is still feeling the fallout. There are significant cut backs in employees, and losses are in the millions of dollars. With the closure of the Philip Goldson International Airport […]
Tens of thousands of persons rely on the tourism industry and with COVID-19 negatively affecting the industry many businesses are left to lay off employees. Hotels across the country are empty and employees are left wondering what will happen to their employment. It is some that in some cases, employees are being sent home and […]
According to Tejada, the Belize Hotel Association is working with the COVID-19 National Oversight Committee to mitigate the effects of the deadly disease. A survey is being carried out and the data collected will be passed to the government which in turn will provide assistance to hoteliers. Ted Tejada, President, Belize Hotels Association “They have […]
The first case of coronavirus is yet to be confirmed in Belize and while many are hunkering down in fear of contracting the illness once it makes landfall, stakeholders in the tourism industry are suffering massive losses due to the cancellation of cruise visits. This morning, the Federation of Cruise Tourism Associations of Belize, FECTAB, […]
FECTAB’s demand for equity in the distribution of tourism relief is in the interest of small and independent tour operators who they say are constantly overlooked by government and industry regulators. While there are requirements to access financial assistance, representatives of the federation are adamant that the monies should not be disbursed by those persons […]
Earlier today, word spread like wildfire that Guatemalan nationals were traversing Belize from the Philip Goldson International Airport to the western border and that their transit through the country was facilitated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. While it may have been true that they were traveling cross country to enter Guatemala from Melchor, the […]
As you may know by now, Nicaragua and El Salvador recorded their first cases of the novel coronavirus late Wednesday evening. As it stands now, Belize is the only country in the mainland Americas where there is not yet a confirmed case. And today, during the Ministry of Health’s third episode of the ‘Ask The […]
Estrada also spoke on the official and legal border points. She notes that only two ports of entry remain open for Belize, those are the Philip Goldson International Airport and the northern border. Estrada says the ban on persons coming from China, Iran, South Korea, Japan and all of Europe, as well as the United […]
On the issue of visitors and entry points, Director of Health Services Doctor Marvin Manzanero says that traffic through the P.G.I.A. is already significantly reduced and expected to dwindle further. He says that multiple airlines are suspending service to the country and more may follow. Dr. Marvin Manzanero, Director of Health Services “I just […]
Belize’s economy is heavily dependent on tourism so that the looming COVID-19 is presenting major shocks to the industry. The Philip Goldson International Airport remains open, but the number of flights and passengers are dwindling. Hotel cancellations are fast and furious and cruise ships are not calling on port. Businesses all over are scaling down […]
The threat of the coronavirus hovers over Belize as we start the weekend. But tonight the Ministry of Health confirms there are no cases of the virus here, but its effects are beginning to be felt. The overnight and cruise tourism sectors, both of which are the lifeblood of Belize’s economy, are taking a massive […]
The economic impact of suspension of cruise arrivals compounded by hotel cancellations, will undoubtedly affect revenue generation within the tourism industry. Of equal concern to the Belize Hotels Association is the well-being of their employees. The tourism sector has the largest workforce in the country; many of those in the service industry are frontline personnel whose […]
Earlier this week, a meeting was held to present the findings of an Agri-Tourism study of Ambergris Caye. The twelve-month study looked at agricultural produce that is consumed by the tourism sector. Now, for the first time in 2019, the tourism industry met its goals in exceeding half a million overnight guests and so the […]
The Belize Tourism Board today announced that for the first time in the history of Belize’s tourism industry, Belize surpassed the half-million mark in overnight arrivals last year. In 2019, five hundred and three thousand, one hundred and seventy-seven overnight entered the country. This represents an increase of two point eight percent compared to the […]
Destination Belize, the go-to magazine for potential visitors to Belize, will be launched later this year. But today, the Belize Tourism Industry Association released a theme that intends to attract visitors to experience the unique attributes of the country, from the friendliness of the people to keeping the environment safe. Here is News Five’s Duane […]
In early November, the Belize Tourism Board released its mid-year insight into tourism performance for the Jewel. And while there are some ups and downs, the industry continues to boom. Overnight stays and the cruise tourism industry continue to be a driving force behind the record numbers over the years and while for the past […]
