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The public relations officer of the Belize Tourism Board, Mrs. Linette Canto, joins us in this episode to discuss some of the preparations being made in Belize. Linette gives us insights on how the Belize Tourism Board is building the capacity of local tourism stakeholders to prepare for the reopening of Belize’s tourism industry. Linette is the public relations and communications manager of the BTB, which is the governing body of Belize’s tourism industry. In our phone conversation, Linette recaps Belize’s booming tourism industry as we recorded more than half a million overnight arrivals in 2019. For now, the borders are closed due to COVID-19, and we remain under a national state of emergency. While travel is on pause, the BTB continues to work hard to prepare for the eventual reopening of travel. The BTB is developing a list of new policies and procedures that will be put in place to ensure the safety of our visitors and our tourism stakeholders.
Linette also discusses the impending reopening of the tourism industry to the local market and the initiatives that the BTB and the staff of the BTB has taken to assist local tour guides, tour operators and hoteliers who were affected by the sudden halt of tourism activity in Belize.
In preparation for re-opening, the BTB has planned a series of capacity building webinar sessions for tourism stakeholders in Belize. Linette states that these free training sessions will elevate the level of service offered by tourism workers; therefore, she encourages all stakeholders to take advantage of the free training sessions. They are offering a wide range of training in areas such as business continuity and disaster preparation, new policies and procedures, customer service, marketing, strategic planning, and other areas.
Considering that the tourism industry is Belize’s largest GDP contributor, everyone in the industry is eager for the industry to reopen and to be able to share Belize’s wonders to all travelers, local and international. As there are currently no active cases of COVID-19 in Belize, Linette is hopeful that the industry will resume stronger and more vibrant than ever. Belize offers many unique jungle, marine, historical, and cultural activities and we can’t wait for everyone around the world to come and experience the wonders of nature’s best-kept secret.
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