Belize is no longer Mother Nature’s Best Kept Secret and here’s why!
New reports from the Belize Tourism Board show that tourist arrivals for 2014 continue to increase, with this year’s third quarter numbers showing a significant rise compared to last year.
And when you consider that the third quarter contains the traditionally slow months for tourism, the figures seem to indicate that Belize is maintaining its upward trajectory as one of the world’s most desirable locations.
Seven News Belize reports that airport, overnight and cruise ship arrivals for the three months up to September 2014 are all higher compared to last year, giving the first three quarters of this year a healthy increase of 3.9%, according to BTB figures.
The figures also indicate that overnight arrivals are up by 5,248, or an increase of 8.8%, while cruise passenger arrivals increased by 73,409, or 77%.
Calling the figures “… a tremendous indication to us how well the country is doing, how interested people are.” BTBMarketing Director Alyssa Carnegie said she believed the Board recorded a 12.1% increase in arrivals this September compared to September 2013, with an over 90% for cruise arrivals for the same period.
“I think a lot of our industry partners have been telling us that… it’s one of the best slow seasons they’ve had. So now we are heading into the high season… We are very excited about that. I think all Belizeans should be happy about that,” Ms Carnegie said, adding that she expects this year’s high season to outperform previous years as well.
“We are very confident that we will be able to do that this calendar year in December. So we expect it to build and to build to a number that we’ve not seen before in Belize,” she said.
That’s music to everyone’s ears, especially with some major destinations around the world experiencing a slowdown this year. It just goes to show that a commitment to environmental sustainability and responsible travel can go hand-in-hand with success.