This presentation was presented at the Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference 2011 (ESTC 2011), held in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA, from September 19th-21st. Organized by The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), the
ESTC is a unique annual conference providing practical solutions to advance sustainability goals for the tourism industry.
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The International Ecotourism Society | web www.ecotourism.org email [email protected] | tel +1 202 506 5033
Presented by the Belize Tourism Board
September 20th, 2011
Belize’s Strategy to Addressing Challenges and Promoting Sustainability
First recorded cruise ship to visit Belize was in 1991with 90 passengers
As a result of $20 head tax being charged per cruise passenger, there was a sharp decline in the arrival numbers in the mid 90’s
In 1998, the Government of Belize signed its first contract with Premier Cruise Lines after dropping the head tax to $5 per person
Norwegian Cruise Line sailed to Belize in 1998 and Carnival Cruise Lines sailed to Belize in the year 2000
How Cruise Tourism Evolved in Belize
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
Cruise Ship Arrivals to Belize: 2000 -2010
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010P
MONTH
Arr
ival
s
Year Total Arrivals
2000 58,131
2001 48,116
2002 319,690
2003 575,196
2004 851,436
2005 800,331
2006 655,931
2007 624,128
2008 597,370
2009 705,219
2010 764,628
Cruise Ship Arrivals to
Belize 2000 – 2010
Overview of Cruise Tourism Development
Challenges Faced with Cruise Tourism Development
Location of current cruise port
Number of qualified tour guides
Quality of products and services
Small local operators not being able to compete
Safety & Security
New Cruise Port Development
Working to Address Sustainability Challenges
Zoning for visitor use
Visitor site planning and design
Sustainable infrastructure design
Capacity Building with tour operators
Developing Quality Assurance standards
Policy Development
References:
www.sustainabletourismbz.org, www.belizetourism.org
www.travelbelize.org
Thank You
Questions?
