On Wednesday, April 22, 2009, the Belize Tourism Board held its 11th annual presentation to the Belizean public on the status of tourism in Belize. The presentation affords an opportunity for the Belize Tourism Board to offer stakeholders a solid report related to efforts and achievements by the Board in a given year.
The Minister of Tourism, Hon. Manuel Heredia Jr., complimented the tourism sector for their “wholehearted cooperation with the national effort to keep tourism at the forefront of minds despite the global economic crisis.” He said there is no doubt that the industry has suffered as a result of the global economic crisis, but the crisis has also highlighted “in crystal clear manner how important the tourism industry is to our economy.” The Minister quotes the “Affluent American Traveler” which states “76% of tourists will not change their quality of life in a recession and 90% of them plan to spend money on travel.” He said that this is good news because the tourism sector will not be affected as much as other economic sectors.
The Mistress of Ceremonies was Belize City Councillor, Laura Esquivel. The Board released a beautiful video presentation entitled “Be one in Tourism, Be one with Belize.” The video reviewed the hardship and success of the year 2008-2009. Ms. Tracy Panton, Director of Tourism, then made a presentation on the Budget and work plan for 2009-2010. She said, “It is sometimes very daunting to realize how many alternative destinations there are in the world today to select a place for vacation. If you offer high quality service to your guest, if you over promise and under deliver they will not hesitate to tell the world about you.” She commended the tour guides for their excellent work in dealing with the over 245, 000 visitors last year. She concluded by encouraging the many service providers in Belize to take advantage of the opportunities presented through the tourism industry.
The proposed budget for the 2009-2010 year expects the total expense to be $16,046,944. This includes $8,178,310 for marketing and public relations. In that area, the most is committed to print advertisement campaign, $2,767,000. Also included in the budget is $3,369,700 for product development, $420,000 for hotels department and $4,078,934 for finance and administration. The expected income for the 2009-2010 year is $15, 601,484.
