Belize Tourism Industry Association Celebrates 40 Years at AGM

This year, the Belize Tourism Industry Association is celebrating its fortieth anniversary, and its members are kicking off the festivities with an Annual General Meeting.  At this event, members will discuss their progress in the last six months leading up to the anniversary. The association also hosted a gala to recognize the contributions of its past presidents. BTIA President Efren Perez says the association is gearing up for the next decade with fresh strategies and a new generation of tourism leaders.

 

Efren Perez, President, Belize Tourism Industry Association

“I’ve been part of this story for the past two decades and I have seen tremendous growth. I think when we look at the airlift connections, also, we’ve made a lot of progress. The hotel infrastructure across or key destinations, San Pedro. You have Caye Caulker, you have San Ignacio, Placencia. There is enormous growth, I think, and I think that there will be a lot more going forward. Challenges have existed. The COVID Pandemic was one that hit tremendously the industry. But from there we’ve rebounded, and we are still looking at new options. And so right now I can tell you that at the end of October, we are going to be attending an event in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, which is the Central American travel market. And the interest from the travel wholesalers and the international press wanting to come to Belize is what really is encouraging for us because we know that there is going to be a lot more growth going forward. And so as a leading umbrella organization in Belize our focus is really the sustainable growth of the industry.”