The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MTCA), the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) and the Belize Tourism Industry Association through the World Wildlife Fund partnered with the George Washington University International Institute of Tourism Studies to conduct a Sustainable Destination Assessment for Belize City, using the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) sustainable tourism criteria.
The Sustainable Assessment is a first time for Belize and to the Mesoamerican region where similar assessments have been conducted in Roatan, Honduras and Cozumel, Mexico in 2018. The assessment will assist Belize and the two other destinations to profile their current sustainable tourism status. The MTCA, BTB and the George Washington University conducted this assessment from the 25th April to 3rd May 2019, with a series of focus groups and meetings with key stakeholders from various sectors including government departments/ministries, NGO’s, private and public sector organizations.
To conclude the assessment, a final validation and planning workshop with key stakeholders was held at the BTEC Training Room in Belize City on 3rd May 2019. Since then, the final document has been submitted to the MTCA and BTB indicating the areas for improvement that are required to enhance Belize City’s satisfaction as a Sustainable Tourism Destination. Works will now commence in conjunction with the Belize City Council and other partners to implement the action plan towards Sustainable Tourism for the City.
The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation and the Belize Tourism Board thank all their members and partners for their time and input to achieve sustainable destination management for Belize.
