Press Release – Belize Tourism Industry Association – December 10, 2019 – The Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA) celebrated its 34th Annual General Meeting on Thursday, 5th December 2019 at the Radisson Fort George Hotel and Marina. In addition to presenting their main accomplishments for 2018/19, the BTIA also highlighted the targeted accomplishments for 2019/20 to its members and other invited guests.
In the President’s Remarks, Ms. Melanie Paz stated, “In November of this year, the Executive Committee attended a strategic planning workshop, which focused on membership needs and the direction BTIA will take for 2020 and forward. The BTIA will continue to play an active role as the main advocacy group in the industry on the Sargassum Task Force, the Coalition for Sustainable Fisheries, the Sustainable Tourism Project for Belize, the MAR Network for Sustainable Cruise Tourism, and we also work on the minimum standards for High Risk Water Sports.”
Mr. Roby Peñacastro, Google Account Strategist for Central America & Caribbean, was the Keynote Speaker. His presentation focused on the theme: “Insights on Belize as a Tourist Destination.” Mr. Peñacastro presented supporting data for his recommendations on the next steps Belize can take to strategically promote the country to significantly increase the number of visitors in the Winter Season 2020. He recommended, “Capture existing demand for the country by incentivizing people currently interested in the country and region to explore and visit the country and generate new demand for potential travelers to visit the country by promoting the country to the right audiences at the right time. The US audience that shows interest in traveling soon to the Caribbean is 11.7 times more interested in luxury travel and 4.8 times more interested in family vacations than the rest of the population navigating the internet.”
After his presentation on the 2018/2019 achievements and targeted 2020 goals, Executive Director, John M. Burgos noted, “We need to remain vigilant and protective of the Belize tourism industry. We need to continue to work together to ensure the implementation and regulation of policies that are going to support the growth and protection of the tourism industry. Our wish is to have a stronger voice, and for that, we need to work together to increase our membership.” Mr. Burgos concluded his presentation with a special invitation to its members and friends of the media. “The BTIA will be hosting a press conference on January 8, 2020, to announce the theme and direction of the 21st edition of Destination Belize which will be published October 2020.”
The work of the BTIA could not continue without the support of its partners and sponsors. We extend our heartfelt thanks to our partners, the Belize Tourism Board, Belize Hotel Association and Corporate Sponsors, Atlantic Group of Companies, Tropic Air, and Digi, for their contributions and continuous support to the Association. We also acknowledge the commitment of our ten Destination Chapters for the year 2019.
The Association held elections for the posts of 1st Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. Elected to serve a two-year term were incumbent Tamara Sniffin as 1st Vice President, Raineldo Guerrero as Treasurer, and Tanya Silva as Secretary. The BTIA Executive Committee for 2020 include:
President Melanie Paz
1st Vice-President Tamara Sniffin
2nd Vice-President Stewart Krohn
Treasurer Raineldo Guerrero
Secretary Tanya Silva
Chapter Representative Osmany Salas
The BTIA Destination Chapter Chairs for 2020:
For more information please contact National Secretariat, Belize Tourism Industry Association
Email: [email protected] , Tel: 227-1144.
 celebrated its 34th Annual General Meeting on 5th December 2019 at the Radisson Fort George Hotel and Marina.){kind=link}