In related news, the BTB’s Enhanced Health and Safety Training for Tour Guides took place last week in San Pedro. Held in conjunction with the San Pedro Tour Guide Association at the San Pedro Junior College, the two-day event looked at how to conduct tours while following globally recommended COVID-19 precautions and Tourism Gold Standard […]
Belize welcomed the Independence of the Seas, a new cruise ship under Royal Caribbean International which called to port in the Jewel today. This is the cruise line’s first call to Belize since the suspension of the industry due to the pandemic over a year ago. The ship arrived with one thousand, six hundred and […]
Tourism stalwart Ian Anderson has taken a strong stance against COVID-19 by announcing his Caves Branch adventure resort will only accept reservations from fully vaccinated guests beginning October first. Anderson says he wrestled with the decision for three months, but his overriding concern for his staff made his choice clear. He spoke with Open Your […]
The majority of bus lines across the country are becoming more proactive in their fight against Covid-19. Effective Monday, passengers will be prohibited from eating and drinking on buses. President of the Belize Bus Association, Thomas Shaw, says this will help to avoid passengers taking of their masks during the ride and potentially exposing themselves […]
We also asked President Shaw if the Association has a position on the October first vaccine mandate, which will require commuters to show their vaccine passes before entering any public transportation. He says there are some operators, who have not taken it, but ninety-five percent of the Association’s membership has gotten vaccinated, and the majority […]
Belize is among ten countries that received the highest travel warning, a Level Four, from the U.S. Government. The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of States are telling American travelers to think twice before travelling to Belize due to “very high levels of COVID-19.” The CDC says to “make […]
Countries across the world have been working to bring back their tourism industries in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the nation of Haiti, the pandemic has not been its only adversary. Minister of Tourism, Anthony Mahler recently met with the Ministers of Tourism in Haiti and St Lucia for an information and education […]
When we caught up with the Minister of Tourism today we asked him about those COVID-19 restrictions that are not so tourism-friendly. Business owners, particularly restaurateurs, have been complaining about the early curfew cutting into their bottom lines for the last fifteen months. We asked Minister Mahler if he has been advocating for more tourism […]
A letter has been sent to Chief Environmental Officer Martin Alegria requesting access to several documents regarding the Environmental Compliance Plan for the Stake Bank project. Viewers may recall that a suit is presently before the Supreme Court involving Port Coral, the Attorney General, NEAC and the Department of Environment with Portico signed on as […]
Developer David Gegg, who has been in the tourism industry for almost forty years, also addressed the need for a cruise facility to be constructed on the mainland. Aside from being the founding director of Portico Enterprises, a special purpose vehicle for the realization of Port of Magical Belize, Gegg emphasizes that in order for […]
The COVID cluster that surfaced in Caye Caulker over the weekend has already begun to have a negative impact on tourism. Today, President of the Belize Hotel Association, Alina Saldivar, told News Five there have already been cancellations. Not only that, but she said that bookings are trickling in slowly, instead of with the frequency […]
Saldivar says that despite the sluggish season, and also because of it, the Belize Hotel Association is aggressively marketing its members’ hotels and guest houses so that when the current third wave subsides, they can restore some semblance of normalcy. Voice of: Alina Saldivar, President, B.H.A. “The Belize Hotel Association is working closely not […]
The first cruise ship docked at Harvest Caye today. The Norwegian Gem has over one thousand four hundred passengers and passed all necessary COVID and other safety guidelines. John Bodden, Principal Public Health Inspector, Ministry of Health & Wellness “On Monday, we had visited that location to verify the protocols that are in place […]
Earlier this week, one of the concerns among tour operators over the new COVID requirements was that only unvaccinated persons entering Belize were required to provide a negative COVID test result. Well, there is an update on that tonight. The Belize Tourism Board announced this afternoon that effective August ninth, all travelers – meaning vaccinated […]
This morning, vendors at Altun Ha told us that the police were there issuing warning to everyone who has booths at the site that come Monday, anyone who is not vaccinated will not be allowed to conduct business on the site. Voice of: Vendor, Altun Ha Archaeological site “There’s an elderly woman who works […]
While more than eighty percent of tourism stakeholders have taken their COVID vaccinations, some of them, along with those remaining unvaccinated have voiced concerns over what they feel are privileges being afforded to unvaccinated tourists taken on “bubble” tours. On Tuesday, tour operator Nickoli Alvarado, who represents the Belize Local Association of Stakeholders in Tourism […]
Have you ever wondered what it is like to be a visitor in your own country? Well one of News Five’s own reporters was chosen for Belize Tourism Board’s Belizean Traveller 2021 campaign. His area of the country was the West. In this first episode, Duane Moody takes you along for ride, giving you an […]
Stake Bank and the Port of Magical Belize will face off in the Supreme Court on September thirtieth, following leave being granted earlier this week for Port Coral to file application for judicial review. But while that legal matter is several weeks away from being heard, News Five has been combing through an Environmental Compliance […]
Cruise tourism is slowly making a comeback since reopening on July seventh with only one ship visiting per week. With ships traveling at around sixty percent capacity and not all passengers coming off to tour Belize City, tourism dollars are nowhere near where they used to be. Today, News Five’s Marion Ali went to check […]
There is good news today for Belize’s tourism industry which was all but decimated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tourist arrivals are up and Frontier Airlines will soon be offering direct flights from Denver and Colorado to Belize beginning in December. We spoke to Chairman of the Belize Tourism Board, Evan Tillett, via zoom today about […]
Images of Mayan archaeological sites that Belize Tourism Board removed from its website a couple of weeks ago have been put back up. Chairman Tillett explained that the initial decision to remove the images stemmed from the Maya land rights case. Evan Tillett, Chairman, Belize Tourism Board “I think everybody knows that it had […]
La Isla Cariñosa may have taken a hit from COVID-19, but the island is rebounding fast. Today, News Five checked out the tourist action that is bringing back the economic recovery and raising residents’ spirits. Duane Moody, Reporting The once bustling island of Caye Caulker, a highly visited tourist destination in Belize, was not […]
It may have been just one ship, but today, after eighteen months of no visitors, the Fort Street Tourism Village was buzzing with activity. News Five’s Duane Moody was back in the area, this time to capture the action. Duane Moody, Reporting It was a festive occasion this morning as the Carnival Vista came […]
After over eighteen long months, the wait for cruise ships is about to end. On Wednesday, the first ship from the Carnival Cruise Lines docks in Belize City. Today, Duane Moody headed out to the Fort Street Tourism Village to find out about the preparations being made to get everything ready and approved for the […]
Has the rise in COVID-19 led to Belize being flagged as a moderate travel risk? Just last week, Belize was listed as a country with low-risk for travelers, but all that has changed. Today, Minister of Tourism and Diaspora Relations, Anthony Mahler appealed to Belizeans to follow the protocols to contain the spread of the […]
