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

Belize’s tourism industry is looking ahead with renewed confidence after months of fluctuating visitor numbers and concern over the U.S. federal government shutdown. That shutdown ended just as Belize enters its high season, and industry leaders say the timing could not be better. At a joint press conference, tourism officials and private sector representatives outlined why they believe the coming months will bring a surge in arrivals.

Visitor numbers slipped earlier this year, most notably with an eight point six percent decline in overnight arrivals in September. The dip continued a trend that raised alarms across the sector. But according to the Belize Tourism Board, the story of 2025 is one of highs and lows rather than steady decline.

BTB Director Evan Tillett told reporters that the industry has been navigating a turbulent year. He explained, “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.”

Despite the challenges, Belize is benefitting from shifting travel patterns in the region. The devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica and rising cartel violence in parts of Mexico have prompted tourists and travel agents to look for safer Caribbean destinations. Hotels in Belize say the shift is already noticeable. The Belize Hotel Association reports that bookings for the December to March high season are strong, with several properties nearing capacity. U.S. federal workers receiving back pay after the shutdown are also expected to boost vacation spending.

Belize Hotel Association President Reynaldo Malik underscored how crucial the current booking period is for the industry. He said, “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.” Malik added, “I can speak for my group where I work. We have seen sales on par with last year.”

While the United States remains Belize’s largest tourism market, the country has seen a one point seven percent decrease in U.S. visitors this year. Tourism officials say this is exactly why Belize has been widening its reach into new regions. CEO Nicole Usher of the Ministry of Tourism said the strategy is paying off. She noted, “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.”

Tourism leaders say that although mid-year turbulence raised concerns, the numbers heading into the holiday season paint a more hopeful picture. With stronger regional marketing, high hotel occupancy forecasts, and renewed travel confidence among U.S. visitors, the industry believes Belize is positioned for a strong rebound in the months ahead.