belize

Belize Starts Its New Fiscal Year Bright as Tourism Arrivals Continue to Increase

Belize City, Tuesday, April 12th, 2005 –

Statistics obtained from the Immigration Department continue to show that the country has been welcoming an increasing number of visitors to its shores via cruise ship port, and the international airport.

The most recent report for total tourism arrivals (exclusive of cruise passengers), which includes arrivals via land, air and sea show that cumulatively, January and February, 2005 recorded an increase of 2.3% percent over the same period in 2004. Belize was host to 46,884 overnight visitors for the period January – February this year, surpassing the 45,811 recorded in 2004.

The Philip Goldson International Airport represents 70.5% of the total arrivals. The total number of overnight arrivals documented at PGIA for January and February, 2005 was 35,004 compared to 32,039 for the same period last year. This represents a 9.3% increase over the same period last year.

The cruise sector continues to show growth as 102 ships called to Belize’s port during the period January and February 2005, accounting for 191,441 passengers. This represents an increase of 10.4% over the same period 2004 when there were 182,393 cruise passengers recorded.

"It is heartening to note that both the cruise sector and overnight tourism continue to grow, The Belize Tourism Board assertively maintains its efforts to promote Belize in the international marketplace and pledges its support to create new opportunities that will compliment the overall growth of the industry," comments Tourism Director, Tracy Taegar-Panton.

In the budget for the fiscal year 2005-2006, the Belize Tourism Board plans to invest a total of $11.32 million dollars in Belize’s tourism industry. Of this total, $5.18 million will be spent in the area of Marketing and Public Relations.