The office of the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) in San Pedro Town has reportedly closed down. On Monday, June 29th, all items were taken out of the office located inside the San Cas Plaza on Coconut Drive. The BTB has not officially commented on this closure, but it is believed that it is due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, which has the tourism industry on indefinite lockdown.
The BTB offices in Belize City were contacted, but no one was available to speak on the matter. The only possible explanation is the fact that BTB survives on tourism dollars, including the 9% hotel tax. This income has come to a virtual halt, and only time can tell when tourism dollars will return to the Ministry of Tourism’s coffers.
According to unofficial information, the office of the Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Honourable Manuel Heredia Jr., will be relocated to a different area on the island from where he will continue working. The office will allegedly only deal with matters pertaining to the Belize Rural South Constituency, which Heredia represents, and all BTB related issues will be processed in Belize City.
Minister Heredia could not be reached for comment. We will continue following this story.
