San Pedro Tour Operators Association

After some uncertainty, the 2024 Holiday Lighted Boat Parade has been scheduled for Saturday, December 14th. The traditional event ushers in the holiday season, brightening the coast of San Pedro with twinkling lights, happy people, and Christmas galore. Participation is free, and anyone interested can call or message 610-1690. There are no participation fees; interested individuals can call or message 610-1690 for more information.

Elections to appoint new board members for the San Pedro Tour Operators Association (SPTOA) were held on April 9th. Roberto Canul was re-elected as Chairperson and Ovel Leonardo as Vice-Chairperson. Five other individuals were nominated and accepted to serve on the board. They include Dianela Hancock, Dora Gonzalez, Marcus Alamina, Eben Schaefer, and Nito Vasquez. The board members will meet at a later meeting to select the secretary and treasurer.

On Friday, August 25th, San Pedro tour guide Jesse Smith was released from the Kolbe Foundation- Belize Central Prison after being charged with Causing Death by Careless Conduct in a February boating accident that killed a teenage American visitor.  One hour before the news of his release was shared, tour guides, tour operators, fishermen, family members, and friends came out in numbers to denounce the charges and demanded that the respective authorities like the Belize Port Authority (BPA) and Belize Tourism Board (BTB) do their job. Protesters spoke about the absence of proper signage, no distinctions of No Wake zones, no swimming areas, or navigational lights to guide vessels or swimmers.

The 2023 Kids in Action Youth Scuba Summer Camp held a special event on Sunday, July 30th, to introduce the new young students who completed their diving, fly-fishing, and swimming program. The closing ceremony of the annual summer camp was held at the San Pedro High School. The educational camp saw the participation of 60 kids learning scuba diving, fly-fishing, snorkeling, and swimming.

The tourism industry is considered the pillar of the economy in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. As the island continues to expand, so does the need for essential services from the governing authorities. With this in mind, the San Pedro Tour Operators Association (SPTOA) met on Thursday, March 30th, to discuss various issues affecting their businesses.

The 2022 Kids in Action Youth Scuba Summer Camp held a special event on Sunday, July 24th, to introduce its new set of young students who completed their diving, fly-fishing, and swimming program. The closing ceremony of the annual camp saw the certification of 40 kids in scuba diving, six in fly-fishing, and eight in the swimming section of the educational summer camp.

On Thursday, July 7th, representatives of the Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Area Representative Honourable Andre Perez held a stakeholder engagement with the presidents of the San Pedro Tour Operators Association, San Pedro Tourist Guide Association, and the Ambergris Caye Fishing Guide Association. The associations had requested the meeting to seek mutual collaboration and more representation within the operations of the marine reserve.

The 2022-2023 lobster season has officially opened, and San Pedro Town celebrates the occasion with the annual Lobster Festival. To kick off the festivities, a Lionfish tournament marked the beginning of the event in tandem with the famous Lobster Crawl.