If you’ve been to Cancun, Jamaica or any one of a dozen tourist hotspots in the Caribbean, you know it’s not a particularly new idea. But hey, why reinvent the wheel? Or in this case the concept of a pirate ship…on which passengers can load up on rum punch, hoist the Jolly Roger and even […]
At one hundred and ten thousand tons, she is one of the largest cruise liners to sail in these waters and on December twenty-eighth, the Carnival Valor will make the first of what should be many stops in Belize City Harbour. The Valor, which holds a maximum of just under three thousand passengers, was built […]
Institutions are in short supply in Belize, particularly those that grow up in highly competitive, capital intensive businesses like the airline industry. Today, after twenty-five years of steady growth and solid service, San Pedro based Tropic Air can certainly lay claim to institutional status. News 5’s Jacqueline Woods was on hand this morning as the […]
Several times over the past twenty years, major devaluations of the Mexican peso have sent Belizeans by the thousands across the border to shop in Chetumal. In recent years, as the peso recovered and a free zone opened on the Belize side of the border, that flow was reversed, with bargain hunting Yucatecans crossing the […]
The service is only twice a week and the route is not particularly busy. But the inauguration of direct air links between Belize and Guatemala City is one of the few hopeful developments in the otherwise stagnant diplomatic situation between the neighbouring countries. This morning I was on hand for the festivities at the P.G.I.A. […]
It may not have the stature of a Delta or U.S. Air but a new international airline is slated to inaugurate service to Belize. Beginning Friday Tikal Jets will fly twice weekly from Guatemala City to Belize City via Flores. The flights, which will run Monday and Friday, are scheduled to arrive at the P.G.I.A. […]
The buzz in tourism might be centered on cruise tourism these days, but some Belizean entrepreneurs are going against the grain, designing adventure packages aimed squarely at residents and overnight guests. And as the News 5 team found deep in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, one such idea has four wheels, can go just […]
As of Monday, motorists heading to or from the Northern border will see their driving time and aggravation reduced as the Orange Walk Bypass officially opens to traffic. The five miles of new road departs from the Northern Highway at mile fifty-two, skirts the town to the east and then rejoins at mile fifty-seven. The […]
On yesterday’s newscast we reported that the tourism statistics so far this year were looking good…and today we found out one major reason why: marketing. This morning I visited the industry’s latest effort to woo the international travel trade and learned that the personal touch pays off. Janelle Chanona, Reporting It?s called the Belize Tourism […]
Most of the tourism news over the last several months has involved the cruise ship sector–more precisely, concerns that its rapid unguided growth could negatively impact the hard earned success of our traditional overnight eco-tourism product. But this week two new developments in the industry will produce solid results for local hotelkeepers and other long […]
In related news closer to the ground, the government has assured residents of the Placencia Peninsula that the long awaited paving of the Placencia road will commence early in the new year. Speaking to a public meeting on Tuesday, Minister of Works, Jose Coye, reaffirmed his government’s commitment to the project, which will upgrade the […]
From the vantage point of Belize City, the cruise ship business consists of endless boat-loads of visitors who disembark at the Tourism Village and wander the old capital in search of its virtues and vices. But while many cruise tourists opt for the city life, a majority choose to head out for more adventurous attractions. […]
It has been a source of problems almost since its construction, and despite numerous spot repairs, aviation authorities have finally thrown in the towel on the Caye Caulker airstrip. As of June first, it will be closed. Airline sources tell News 5 that the sinking surface of the strip has made it too dangerous for […]
For the second time in two weeks the tourism industry has taken a major hit at the hands of government. Last week it was the announcement of a twenty-eight percent hike in the hotel tax; this week it’s the near doubling of airport departure fees for visitors from abroad. Effective today all foreign nationals departing […]
On Thursday, the Financial Intelligence Unit froze the bank accounts of an Internet gaming operation based at Data Pro in Ladyville. The F.I.U. said it was acting on a request from the United States Department of Justice, which claims it has evidence that the company is engaged in money laundering. Today, legal representatives for Caribsports […]
The Supreme Court today handed down a landmark judgement in a case that challenged the constitutionality of the forced retirement of four public officers last year. And the effects of the ruling will be felt in Belmopan for quite some time. On September eighteenth, 2003, four senior employees of the Customs Department were sent home, […]
With our traditional long stay tourists being granted preferred access to Caracol, the question remains of where to send those day trippers off the increasing number of cruise ships that anchor in the Belize City harbour. This morning News 5’s Patrick Jones received a tour of a new attraction that should prove to be extremely […]
It has been the scene of some heated battles over the tourism pie in recent months, but the new owners of the Tourism Village are hoping that an expansion to the present infrastructure will help ease tensions at the Fort Street Tourism Village. Patrick Jones, Reporting A new terminal for water taxis is now open […]
It convened in Belmopan last Tuesday, but today the court martial of three Gurkha soldiers came to an abrupt halt and will have to start all over with a new jury. The startling announcement came after evidence was presented that one of the witnesses held a forbidden conversation with a juror. The conversation, which occurred […]
As the fastest growing cruise ship destination in the Caribbean, Belizean tourism officials should be whistling a happy tune…but a history of boom and bust in Caribbean tourism has taught the region that complacency is the one marketing strategy that never works. With that lesson in mind, members of the Caribbean Tourism Organization are suggesting […]
The news did not exactly come as a surprise, but today’s announcement by Air Jamaica that it will suspend its service to Belize is the first hint of negativity in a year that has thus far seen nothing but positive trends in the tourism industry. The last Air Jamaica flight will depart the P.G.I.A. on […]
The travel ban announced yesterday in response to the SARS epidemic had many people in the tourism industry suffering headaches at least as severe as any produced by the virus. With the announcement of an outright ban on visitors from Canada, for example, several hotel and tour operators were facing as much as a twenty […]
SARS, the acronym for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, has finally made a direct impact on Belize. No, there have not been any reported instances of the deadly disease here…but to make sure things stay that way the Minister of Home Affairs, Ralph Fonseca, has ordered a temporary ban on the entry of citizens into Belize […]
In a time when international airlines are cutting back on operations, one local airline has committed itself to expand. Today, Tropic Air improved its customer services by opening a new office in downtown Belize City. According to Tropic Air President, John Greif the Third, the airline serves up to six hundred passengers a day, and […]
It’s a service that started a few years ago, but quickly folded. Now the idea is back…hopefully to stay. What I’m talking about is a ferry service between Tampa, Florida and the Yucatan Peninsula. The Yucatan Express is a luxury cruise ferry that, according to its advertisements, allows passengers to enjoy the fun of a […]
