On Wednesday, June 8th, the Belize Tourism Board (BTB), along with representatives of the Hol Chan Marine Reserve (HCMR) and the Tourism Police Unit, signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at improving the tourism enforcement activities at the marine reserve. The MOU officiates the existing working relationship between the three agencies that have seen the execution of numerous enforcement and monitoring activities within the HCMR.
The MOU signing occurred at the area representative’s office, the Honourable Andre Perez, on Coconut Drive. The agreement features a mechanism for technical, knowledge, and information exchange, intelligence meetings, strategic operations, and capacity development. The official signing included the BTB Director of Tourism, Evan Tillett, HCMR’s Executive Chairman Ian Pou, and Assistant Superintendent Alison McLaughlin, who represented the Tourism Police Unit.
HCMR’s Pou stated that his team remains committed to working hand in hand with stakeholders in the best interest of conservation and the tourism industry. While Assistant Superintendent McLaughlin said, the Tourism Police Unit and the Belize Police Department continues to lend support to all stakeholders. “In an effort to promote, rebuild and preserve the tourism industry, we thank the BTB and Hol Chan Marine Reserve for engaging in this important initiative,” she expressed.
BTB’s Director of Tourism, Tillett, noted that enforcement is critical to providing guests a world-class product and quality experience. “While the focus is not solely to regulate, but instead to support a process of continual improvement, partnerships such as these are paramount in our ability to provide a responsive and accountable enforcement system,” said Tillett.
The BTB celebrated this monumental moment and looks forward to continuing building the partnership with the HCMR and the Tourism Police Department and achieving the objective of a safer and stronger tourism industry.
