After four years, Belize’s first cruise ship port, Harvest Caye in southern Belize, was formally opened for business today. It is not known why the press was not invited to cover the event of this huge investment in the tourism industry. We can say however that at the onset of the project there was huge […]
And while NCL opened its port down south and will no longer be calling at the Fort Street Tourist Village here in the City, tour operators here are getting ready for European cruise visitors. For the first time German-based cruise line TUI made a call to Belize. This new market means that big tour operators […]
British newspaper The Telegraph, among other international media sources, has shown renderings of the plans for actor Leonardo DiCaprio’s planned eco-tourism report on Blacakdore Caye, west of San Pedro. With the Environmental Impact Assessment approved and Environmental Compliance Plan under review, plans to finish the project by 2018 are closer to being a reality. The […]
After extensive debate and more than a few hurt feelings, Norwegian Cruise Line is finally ready to get its cruise port at Harvest Caye in the Stann Creek District off the ground. An inauguration of the multimillion dollars tourism project is being planned as the first ships come into harbour next week. We hear more […]
He was lost in a plane crash above the San Pedro Airport in February of 2010. But Sir Barry Bowen probably wouldn’t have minded, considering that he regularly made flights in his personal aeroplane between his residence on Ambergris Caye and the center of his business empire, Belize City, as well as out west to […]
Today was celebration day for fans of the Chicago Cubs, as the biggest parade in the city’s history flowed from Wrigley Field, the World Series’ champions’ home stadium, to Grant Park for an official rally. In Belize, five thousand would be considered a good crowd for such a parade, but imagine five million! According to […]
The newest airline to begin flights to be Belize is WestJet. The flights will be originating from a new destination; that being Toronto, Canada twice for the week. WestJet’s first flight arrived on Saturday and aside from tourism, it is expected to boost the economy. News Five’s Duane Moody reports. Duane Moody, Reporting For […]
The Minister of Tourism also provided an update on Harvest Caye in southern Belize. After hiccups along the way, the Norwegian Cruise Line cruise tourism Project is about to come on stream complete with a docking facility. Heredia says the investment by NCL has transformed the island. Manuel Heredia Jr., Minister of Tourism “That […]
At the end of May when we visited Blackadore Caye, developers of what is being billed as the first-of-its-kind restorative island shared with the media a master plan which included structures being erected over the surrounding waters. It has been several months and one approved EIA later. So, where does the proposed project stand? News […]
Mini bus owners in the Belmopan area say they are not happy with the Department of Transport. The operators who are members of the Western Mini Bus Owners Cooperative Society Limited say that they received a letter from the Department of Transport on Thursday informing them that as of Monday, October seventeenth, they will only […]
So, what will these changes do? According to the Co-op, it will take more than half of their earnings and compound the transportation problems for villagers like those in Armenia who need to move within the surrounding areas of Belmopan. Adelso Munoz, Armenia Vice Chairman & Mini Bus Operator “It will not work in […]
The Belize Territorial Volunteers are organizing a first-of-its-kind competition in which kayakers will paddle from Barranco Village to Sarstoon River, circle once around Sarstoon Island and then return to the coastal community. The eco-challenge is scheduled for this Saturday and an open call has been made for interested persons sign up and take part in […]
In sporting news, there is a major championship tournament coming to Belize next week, in the sport of volleyball. Belize is hosting the International Volleyball Federation’s World Championship qualification tournament for our region from September twenty-fourth to thirtieth. All Central American countries save the higher-ranked Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic are participating. This afternoon […]
The competition begins next week Saturday at the Saint Catherine Academy Multi-Purpose Center on Marine Parade. Belize as hosts faces a tough road to try to reach the top two teams and advance to the Continental Round. The Association has hired Cuban coach Delio Arruebarrena to oversee preparation of the team. He spoke to us […]
The complete overhaul of the public transportation sector, particularly where it concerns bus fares and the quality of the commuter experience, is a steady process. Earlier this afternoon, Minister of Transport Edmond Castro met with bus operators from southern Belize to discuss issues affecting their respective runs, including the cost of traveling along certain stretches […]
The Belize Bus Owners Cooperative (BBOC) and ADO bus company of Mexico have escalated a rivalry over a key bus run in the North of Belize. Beginning this morning, ADO, which runs a special night service between Belize City and Cancun and Merida, Mexico is operating an eleven a.m. run on the same route; but […]
The driver faces charges of obstruction, assault of a police officer and disorderly conduct. Senior Superintendent Dawson explained that apart from transport issues, the police were mostly interested in restoring order to traffic in the busy area and he believes the situation could possibly have been handled differently. Sr. Supt. Alden Dawson, Dep. Regional […]
Amid the not so good news, there is some positive report in the tourism industry. Tourism numbers are holding their own with the Belize Tourism Board claiming an upward trend in 2016. Well, there is reason to believe that those arrival figures will go up even higher. WestJet announced today direct flights from Canada to […]
Like in agriculture, there was good and bad news in tourism. The good news is that all tourists in the country prior to the storm were placed in safe accommodations and are accounted for. But then there’s that really bad news. Karen Bevans, Director of Tourism “In looking at the preliminary assessment and our biggest […]
The marketplace of the future inarguably has its origin in social media. In fact, many businesses are presently striving to reach new customers and maintain existing ones by interacting with them online. The tourism industry is no different, as every property promises a different experience for the visitor. The Belize Tourism Board, is hosting a […]
Larrieu says there is more to come on this score. In terms of reaching target audiences, Patrick Lawrence’s New-York based Yo Group advertising agency says cost is no object for the eighteen-to-thirty-five or “millennial” age bracket when it comes to travel: the experience is. He has some dos and don’ts for tourism businesses looking to […]
Ballet on Ice at the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts is a must-see ice skating show that will be performed by a band of Muscovite dancers visiting Belize from Russia. If you’re a fan of Swan Lake or Cinderella then you won’t want to miss the acclaimed troupe in action. They will be performing […]
Day one of a two-day conference on digital branding took started this afternoon at the Biltmore Plaza in Belize City. The Belize Tourism Board is hosting the country’s second annual Digital Marketing Summit as an initiative to provide tourism stakeholders and partners with the tools to effectively and efficiently increase their presence and online marketing […]
The 2016 tourism stats for the first half of the year are in and the numbers are consistently up. There is a twenty-four percent increase from January to June, with January being the highest month with a twenty-four percent increase over last year. Overnight arrivals for January to June have seen two hundred and thirteen […]
But while the U.S. market continues to hold the highest share of travelers to Belize, making up close to seventy percent of visitors to the Jewel, Gamero says that the trend is indicating that numbers will surpass last year’s figures by the end of 2016. Noriko Gamero, Marketing and PR Manager, B.T.B. “We have […]
