After a Dip in Arrivals, Belize Tourism Banks on Holiday Surge

Tourism leaders are breathing easier this week. The U.S. federal government shutdown wrapped up just in time for Belize’s high season, and that’s great news for the industry. In fact, there are already signs that visitor numbers will climb in the coming year. So, what’s the outlook? Key players from both the public and private sectors held a joint press conference to share some good news. More flights are on the way, and yes, they’re bringing plenty of passengers ready to experience Belize. Shane Williams has the full story.

 

Shane Williams for News Five.

Belize is bouncing back. After feeling the ripple effects of economic uncertainty and the U.S. government shutdown, signs of recovery are starting to show. September’s overnight arrivals dipped by eight-point-six percent, the start of a downward trend in recent months. However, even as the figures raise concerns, industry stakeholders are saying we must hold steady and are projecting that the upcoming high season could turn the tide. Industry stakeholders laid out the challenges, but also the reasons for optimism.

 

Evan Tillett, Director, Belize Tourism Board

“This entire year has been a very volatile year in terms of arrival numbers. You have some months that we had record breaking arrivals. If you look at January, February, April, July, August, they all set new benchmarks in terms of monthly arrivals. And you look at the months in between, you’ll see some dips. And so it’s been a very challenging year and there’s no way of getting around that.”

 

Belize’s tourism industry is turning challenges into opportunities. While recent months had investors on edge, trouble elsewhere is working in our favor. Hurricane Melissa’s devastation in Jamaica and cartel violence in Mexico have travelers, and travel agents, looking to Belize instead. Hotels are already seeing the shift. The Belize Hotel Association says bookings for the December-to-March high season look strong, with some properties nearly full. And with U.S. federal workers getting back pay after the shutdown, families now have extra cash to spend on vacations.

 

Reynaldo Malik, President, Belize Hotel Association                   

“This three and a half week period that we are in right now is where we do see, I would say upwards of about sixty percent of next year’s revenue is going to come in this one small three week window right now and then we follow up on that with a Christmas sale afterwards, etc. right and the new year. So this is the selling window right here. I can speak for my group where I work. We have seen sales on par with last year.” 

 

Tourism’s resilience isn’t just about renewed economic confidence in the U.S. Overall, there has been a one-point seven percent decrease in visitors from the United States this year. However, CEO Nicole Usher, of the Ministry of Tourism, says part of the sector’s stability comes from expanding where Belize markets itself. She highlighted recent successes in attracting tourists from non-traditional markets, including Italy, Spain and Switzerland, drawing more visitors than ever. The ministry’s strategy is simple, reducing reliance on North American market and opening doors to new visitor segments.

 

Nicole Usher, CEO, Ministry of Tourism:

“We know that the US market has had a softening indeed. And one of the things that we’ve been doing is focusing on secondary markets and regional markets. And I do want to hand it over to the president of BTIA to speak on that. We’ve been working together a lot on that. We had recently done a lot of work in Central America. We recently signed a corporation agreement with El Salvador as well, the Mundo Maya organization and I know we’ve been talking about this for many years, but in our ability to really increase the regional travel, especially in Central America is going to be important for us.”

 

So, while mid-year turbulence raised alarms, industry leaders say the data and the bookings tell a different story. Belize’s tourism industry is still running strong and gearing up for a high season that could put the industry firmly back on an upward track. Shane Williams for News Five.