Tourism Minister Defends Belize’s Safety Image Amid State of Emergency

Tourism Minister Anthony Mahler says crime is one of the threats facing the tourism industry as Belize works to sell itself abroad while under a state of emergency.

Belize Tourism Board (BTB) delegations have spent the past week promoting the country at the World Travel Market in London and a major tourism trade show in Taiwan. At home, the government declared a state of emergency in parts of Belize City, the Belize District and the Cayo District after a surge in violent crime.

Mahler said he has spoken to the prime minister and the minister responsible for police and that the tourism sector wants to do its part. “There are so many things that can affect the tourism industry. But we continue to move along. Crime is one of them. And I’ve spoken to the Prime Minister, I’ve spoken to the minister responsible for police, and we want to do our part.”

He said the BTB helps sponsor the Tourism Police Unit. It also supports a concierge unit that works mainly in Belize City, and he said the board is looking to expand it.

Mahler acknowledged that how safe a destination feels is critical and that some people abroad see Belize as unsafe. He said only a small part of the country is affected by the violence.

“I can’t underscore the importance of a destination feeling safe. The perception out there is that Belize is not a safe destination, but there is only a small portion of Belize that’s afflicted by this crime and violence that we see. For the most part, and if you look at Belize in its totality, Belize is a safe destination. But that’s not to say that we don’t need to do more, and we will do our part as an industry to support the policing efforts that are taking place.”