Low September Tourist Arrivals Signal Hard Times Ahead

Tourism stakeholders are warning of trouble ahead as signs of economic distress begin to ripple through Belize’s biggest money-maker, overnight tourism. Fresh stats from the Belize Tourism Board show an eight-point-six percent drop in overnight arrivals for September compared to the same month last year. That’s a dip from over twenty-two thousand visitors to just under twenty-one thousand. And that’s worrying news because overnight tourism is the heartbeat of Belize’s economy. The extended U.S. federal government shutdown is expected to make things worse in the final months of 2025, as American travelers face financial uncertainty and rethink their vacation plans. Minister of Tourism Anthony Mahler says despite another strong start in tourism this year, the geopolitical climate is now having an impact on the industry and BTB Director Evan Tillett stressed just how crucial the overnight tourism sector is to the industry.

 

Anthony Mahler, Minister of Tourism (File: July 3^rd, 2025)

“Actually the year started very strong and then I believe that all the issues that are going on around the world right now, in terms of the geopolitics, trade wars, wars with real bombs have played an impact in people travelling. Sometimes Canadians have to travel through the U.S. and they are hesitant to go there. Same thing with Europeans.”

 

Evan Tillett, Director, B.T.B. (File: January 10^th, 2025)

“The overnight tourism is the lifeblood of tourism. We have different facets or different sectors. We have cruise tourism. We have overnight tourism. We have tour operation, etcetera. But for us, the lifeblood off the industry and the area that generates the most revenue is overnight. And so that is the critical part of the industry that we pay keen attention to.”

 

The recent downturn is a sharp contrast to 2024, when Belize celebrated a record-breaking year with over five hundred and sixty-two thousand overnight visitors, a twenty-one percent jump from 2023. Now, the industry is bracing for a slowdown, hoping the storm clouds clear before the high season rolls in.