Tourism in Belize

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File:Great Blue Hole.jpg
The Great Blue Hole is a prime ecotourism destination. A World Heritage Site, ranked among the top 10 nominees for the world's New 7 Wonders of Nature.[1]
File:1,000 ft. Falls.png
Thousand Foot Falls actually stand at about 1,600 feet high. It is the highest waterfall in Central America.[2]

Tourism in Belize is a major industry in the country. The sector has grown in the 2020s, with international arrivals reportedly increasing 30% in 2024, the highest rate in the Caribbean.[3] Former Prime Minister Dean Barrow stated his intention to use tourism to combat poverty throughout the country.[4]

The growth in tourism has positively affected the agricultural, commercial, and finance industries, as well as the construction industry. The results for Belize's tourism-driven economy have been significant, with the nation welcoming almost one million tourists in a calendar year for the first time in its history in 2012.[5]

History

Prior to its independence in 1981, Belize was not regarded as a tourist destination due to an inadequate infrastructure. However, rapid expansion of the tourist industry over the last decadeScript error: No such module "Unsubst". has made it the nation's second largest industry.

Belize has large array of diverse tourist, adventure tourist, and eco-tourist attractions. The Belize Barrier Reef (second largest in the world), over 450 offshore Cayes (islands), excellent fishing, safe waters for windsurfing, swimming, cave rafting, boating, paddleboarding, scuba diving, and snorkelling, numerous rivers for rafting, and kayaking, various jungle and wildlife reserves of fauna and flora, for hiking, bird watching, and helicopter touring, as well as many Maya ruins, support the thriving tourism and ecotourism industry. Of the hundreds of cave systems, Belize also holds the largest cave system in Central America, 544 species of birds, and well-preserved natural beauty. Despite all this, it is still among the least visited countries in the region.[6]

Government promotion of tourism

Development costs are high, but the Government of Belize has designated tourism as its second development priority after agriculture. In 2012, tourist arrivals totalled 917,869 (with about 584,683 from the U.S.) and tourist receipts amounted to over $1.3 billion.[5]

Tourism is the domain of the Ministry of Tourism, within which the Belize Tourism Board works as a link between the private and public sector.[7]

Economic

The tourism industry is an important part of the economy of Belize, in 2007 contributing to over 25% of all jobs, and making up over 18% of the GDP.[8] This constituted 590 million BZD (295 million USD), according to the Belize government, up 90 million BZD (45 million USD) from the year before.[8] Important tourist attractions in Belize include the natural attractions of land and sea, making the areas important in Ecotourism, as well as the historic ruins of Belize's Pre-Columbian Maya civilization.

Tourist destinations

Popular tourist destinations include San Pedro Town and Caye Caulker, both located about 70 km and 40 km east off the coast of Belize, both situation only a few miles from the Barrier Reef at any point. They have been regarded as a "tropical paradises" by the Los Angeles Times.[9] Cruise ships have been docking in Belize City, and average 850,000 tourists alone every year, some who partake in tours to nearby districts as well as the colonial city.[10]

File:Almond Beach, Hopkins, Stann Creek, Belize.jpg
Almond Beach, Hopkins
File:Beach front at Placencia, Belize.jpg
Maya Beach, Placencia
File:BZECAYE.jpg
Half Moon Caye

Mainland beaches

Popular cayes

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Rural and community-based tourism

Many privately run companies have cooperatives in Southern Belize that manage a rural and community-based tourism project, which has been developed with support from the UNESCO. Tourism allows otherwise marginalized minorities such as the Maya and the Garifuna people to receive new opportunities in alternative markets, harvest crops, preserve and involve foreigners in their culture and diversify their income.[11] Many companies offer visitors the opportunity to visit a cacao, cashew farm, learn about Maya, Kriol or Garifuna craftsmanship, and even to stay overnight on a Maya, Kriol or Garifuna village and explore with a community guide.

Ecological tourism

File:Amazona autumnalis -upper body-8a.jpg
Biodiversity is an asset for ecotourism. A red-lored amazon

Eco-tourism aims to be ecologically and socially conscious, it focuses on local culture, wilderness, and adventure. Belize's eco-tourism is growing with every passing year,[12] it boasts a number of eco-tourist tours and energy efficient hotels, with environmentally-conscious and renewable resources.[13] Popular eco-tourism destinations in Belize include the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary,[14] Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve,[15] Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary,[16] and the Community Baboon Sanctuary.[17]

Waterfalls

Archaeological reserves

File:Panorama atop Caracol.png
Overlooking the Caracol ruins, the most extensive archaeological site in the country.[18]

Script error: No such module "labelled list hatnote". Before the arrival of Europeans in America, Belize lay in the heartland of the Maya civilisation, and consequently contains some of the earliest and most important Maya ruins.[19] Archaeological findings at Caracol, in the southern end of the country, have suggested that it formed the centre of political struggles in the southern Maya lowlands.[19] The complex covered an area much larger than present-day Belize City and supported more than twice the modern city's population.[18] Meanwhile, Lamanai, in the north, is known for being the longest continually-occupied site in Mesoamerica, settled during the early Preclassic era and continuously occupied up to and during the area's colonisation.[19]

While the majority of reserves under this category are related to the pre-colonial era, Serpon Sugar Mill and Yarborough Cemetery, both designated in 2009, only date from the 19th century and are alternatively described as historical reserves.[20]

The country's 15 archaeological sites are managed by the Institute of Archaeology, a branch of the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH),[21] which comes under the authority of the Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation and Culture.[22] This type of protected area was gazetted under the Ancient Monuments and Antiquities Act, 1 May 1972.[21][23] All of the following reserves are open to the public. Many other sites, such as Cuello and Uxbenka, are located on private land and can only be visited if prior permission is obtained from the landowner.[19]

List of Maya ruins in Belize

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Main natural attractions

Roughly 26% (2.6 million acres, or 1.22 million hectares) of Belizean land and sea is preserved within a total of 95 reserves, which vary in their purpose and level of protection.[24][25] This network of protected areas exists under a variety of management structures:[26]

National parks

File:St Hermans Cave Belize.jpg
St. Herman's Cave in St. Herman's Blue Hole National Park.

In Belize, national parks are areas designed for the protection and preservation of natural and aesthetic features of national significance for the benefit and enjoyment of the people. Therefore, they are areas of recreation and tourism, as well as environmental protection. National parks are gazetted under the National Parks System Act of 1981.[27] They are administered by the Forest Department and managed through partnership agreements with community-based non-governmental organisations.

List of national parks
Reserve District Size
(ha)		 Size
(acres)		 IUCN Co-management Est. Description
Aguas Turbias Orange Walk Script error: No such module "convert". II — [note 1] 1994 Template:Sfn
Bacalar Chico Belize Script error: No such module "convert". V Green Reef Environmental Institute [note 2] 1996 Excludes adjacent marine reserve.Template:Sfn[28]
Billy Barquedier Stann Creek Script error: No such module "convert". II Steadfast Tourism and Conservation Association 2001 Template:Sfn
Chiquibul Cayo Script error: No such module "convert". II Friends for Conservation and Development 1995 Excludes adjacent forest reserve.Template:Sfn[29]
Five Blues Lake Cayo Script error: No such module "convert". II Friends of Five Blues Lake National Park 1994 Template:Sfn
Gra Gra Lagoon Stann Creek Script error: No such module "convert". II Friends of Gra Gra Lagoon 2002 Template:Sfn
Guanacaste Cayo Script error: No such module "convert". II Belize Audubon Society 1994 Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
Honey Camp Corozal / Orange Walk Script error: No such module "convert". II Association of Friends of Freshwater Creek [note 3] 2001 Template:Sfn
Laughing Bird Caye Stann Creek Script error: No such module "convert". II Southern Environmental Association 1996 Template:Sfn[30]
Mayflower Bocawina Stann Creek Script error: No such module "convert". II Friends of Mayflower Bocawina National Park 2001 Template:Sfn[31]
Monkey Bay Belize Script error: No such module "convert". II Guardians of the Jewel [note 2] 1994 Template:Sfn[32]
Nojkaaxmeen Elijio Panti Cayo Script error: No such module "convert". II Belize Development Foundation [note 4] 2001 Template:Sfn[33][34]
Payne's Creek Toledo Script error: No such module "convert". II Toledo Institute for Development and Environment 1994 Template:Sfn[35]
Peccary Hills Belize Script error: No such module "convert". II Gracie Rock Reserve for Adventure, Culture and Ecotourism 2007 Template:Sfn[36]
Río Blanco Toledo Script error: No such module "convert". II Río Blanco Mayan Association 1994 Template:Sfn
Sarstoon-Temash Toledo Script error: No such module "convert". II Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management 1994 Ramsar site.Template:Sfn[37]
St. Herman's Blue Hole Stann Creek Script error: No such module "convert". II Belize Audubon Society 1986 Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Natural monuments

A natural monument is designated for the preservation of unique geographic features of the landscape. The designation is primarily based on a feature's high scenic value, but may also be regarded as a cultural landmark that represents or contributes to a national identity.

Natural monuments are gazetted under the National Parks System Act of 1981;[27] marine-based monuments additionally come under the Fisheries Act. Of the five natural monuments in the country, three are terrestrial, administered by the Forest Department, while the remaining two are marine-based and come under the authority of the Fisheries Department.

List of natural monuments
Image Reserve District Size
(ha)		 Size
(acres)		 IUCN Co-management Est. Description
File:Actun tunichil muknal-pottery.jpg Actun Tunichil Muknal Cayo Script error: No such module "convert". Ia Belize Audubon Society; Institute of Archaeology 2004 Terrestrial.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
File:Blue Hole coral.jpg Blue Hole Belize Script error: No such module "convert". III Belize Audubon Society 1996 Marine.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn
File:BZECAYE.jpg Half Moon Caye Belize Script error: No such module "convert". II Belize Audubon Society 1982 Marine.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
File:1,000 foot water fall at Mountain Pine Ridge in Belize.jpg Thousand Foot Falls Cayo Script error: No such module "convert". III — [note 5] 2004 Terrestrial.Template:Sfn
File:Victoria-peak-2.jpg Victoria Peak Stann Creek Script error: No such module "convert". III Belize Audubon Society 1998 Terrestrial.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Nature reserves

File:Looking towards the Maya Mountains from the fire watchtower.jpg
Wilderness scene in the Bladen Nature Reserve.

The country's three nature reserves enjoy the highest level of protection within the national protected areas system. The designation was created for the strict protection of biological communities or ecosystems, and the maintenance of natural processes in an undisturbed state. They are typically pristine, wilderness ecosystems.

Nature reserves are legislated under the National Parks System Act of 1981.[27] It is the strictest designation of all categories within the country's national protected areas system, with no extractive use or tourism access permitted. Permits are required to enter the area and are restricted to researchers only. The nature reserves are under the authority of the Forest Department.

The oldest of these, Bladen Nature Reserve, forms the centrepiece of the Maya Mountains biological corridor, and is considered one of the most biodiversity-rich, and topographically unique areas within the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot.

List of nature reserves
Reserve District Size
(ha)		 Size
(acres)		 IUCN Co-management Est. Description
Bladen Toledo Script error: No such module "convert". Ia Ya’axché Conservation Trust; Bladen Management Consortium 1990 Template:Sfn[38]
Burdon Canal Belize Script error: No such module "convert". Ia — [note 6] 1992 Template:Sfn
Tapir Mountain Cayo Script error: No such module "convert". Ia Belize Audubon Society 1994 Formerly known as Society Hall Nature Reserve.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Wildlife sanctuaries

Wildlife sanctuaries are created for the preservation of an important keystone species in the ecosystem. By preserving enough area for them to live in, many other species receive the protection they need as well.

Wildlife sanctuaries are gazetted under the National Parks System Act of 1981, and are the responsibility of the Forest Department.[27] There are currently seven wildlife sanctuaries, three of which are being managed under co-management partnerships, whilst the other four are managed under informal arrangements. Two of the following wildlife sanctuaries are considered to be marine protected areas, and may also have collaborative agreements with the Fisheries Department in place.

List of wildlife sanctuaries
Reserve District Size
(ha)		 Size
(acres)		 IUCN Co-management Est. Description
Aguacaliente Toledo Script error: No such module "convert". IV Aguacaliente Management Team [note 2] 1998 Terrestrial.Template:Sfn[39]
Cockscomb Basin Stann Creek / Toledo Script error: No such module "convert". IV Belize Audubon Society 1997 Terrestrial.Template:Sfn
Corozal Bay Belize / Corozal Script error: No such module "convert". IV Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation and Development [note 2] 1998 Marine.Template:Sfn[40]
Crooked Tree Belize / Orange Walk Script error: No such module "convert". IV Belize Audubon Society 1984 Ramsar site. Boundaries ill defined. Terrestrial.Template:Sfn
Gales Point Belize Script error: No such module "convert". IV Gales Point Wildlife Sanctuary Community Management Committee [note 2] 1998 Terrestrial.Template:Sfn[41]
Spanish Creek Belize / Orange Walk Script error: No such module "convert". IV Rancho Dolores Development Group [note 2] 2002 Terrestrial.Template:Sfn
Swallow Caye Belize Script error: No such module "convert". IV Friends of Swallow Caye 2002 Marine.Template:Sfn[42]

Forest reserves

File:BigRockFalls.jpg
Big Rock Falls in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve.

Forest reserves, overseen by the Forest Department, are designed for the sustainable extraction of timber without destroying the biodiversity of the location. These are gazetted under the Forests Act of 1927,[43] which allows the department to grant permits to logging companies after extensive review. There are currently 16 forest reserves with a combined acreage of Script error: No such module "convert"., making up 9.3% of total national territory.[21]

List of forest reserves
Reserve District Size
(ha)		 Size
(acres)		 IUCN Est. Description
Caye Caulker Belize Script error: No such module "convert". VI 1998 Excludes adjacent marine reserve.Template:Sfn
Chiquibul Cayo Script error: No such module "convert". VI 1995 Excludes adjacent national park.Template:Sfn
Columbia River Cayo / Toledo Script error: No such module "convert". VI 1997 Template:Sfn
Deep River Toledo Script error: No such module "convert". VI Template:Sfn
Fresh Water Creek Corozal / Orange Walk Script error: No such module "convert". VI 1926 Template:Sfn
Grants Work Stann Creek Script error: No such module "convert". VI 1989 Template:Sfn
Machaca Toledo Script error: No such module "convert". VI 1998 Template:Sfn
Manatee Belize / Stann Creek Script error: No such module "convert". VI 1959 Template:Sfn
Mango Creek Stann Creek / Toledo Script error: No such module "convert". VI 1989 Comprises two separate segments.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
Monkey Caye Toledo Script error: No such module "convert". VI 1996 Template:Sfn
Mountain Pine Ridge Cayo Script error: No such module "convert". VI 1944 Template:Sfn[44]
Maya Mountain Stann Creek Script error: No such module "convert". VI 1997 Template:Sfn
Sibun Cayo Script error: No such module "convert". VI 1959 Template:Sfn[44]
Sittee River Stann Creek Script error: No such module "convert". VI Template:Sfn
Swasey Bladen Toledo Script error: No such module "convert". VI 1989 Template:Sfn
Vaca Cayo Script error: No such module "convert". VI 1991 Template:Sfn

Marine reserves

File:Holchan2.png
Coral patch in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve.

Marine reserves are designed for the conservation of aquatic ecosystems, including marine wildlife and its environment. The majority of these reserves contribute to the conservation of Belize's Barrier Reef, which provides a protective shelter for pristine atolls, seagrass meadows and rich marine life. The preservation of the Barrier Reef system has been recognised as a global interest through the collective designation of seven protected areas, including four of the following marine reserves, as a World Heritage Site.

Marine reserves are legislated under the Fisheries Act, and are administered by the Fisheries Department. One of the department's key responsibilities is to ensure the sustainable extraction of marine resources. There are currently eight marine reserves, management of which is either direct, by the department, or in partnership with non-governmental agencies.

List of marine reserves
Reserve District Size
(ha)		 Size
(acres)		 IUCN Co-management Est. Description
Bacalar Chico Belize Script error: No such module "convert". IV Green Reef Environmental Institute [note 2] 1996 Excludes adjacent national park. Divided into two zones: a conservation zone,Template:Sfn and a general use zone.Template:Sfn[28]
Caye Caulker Belize Script error: No such module "convert". VI Forest & Marine Reserves Association of Caye Caulker 1998 Excludes adjacent forest reserve.Template:Sfn
Gladden Spit and Silk Cayes Stann Creek Script error: No such module "convert". IV Southern Environmental Association 2000 Divided into two zones: a general use zone,Template:Sfn and a conservation zone.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn[45]
Glover's Reef Belize Script error: No such module "convert". IV — 1993 In 2001, the reserve was divided into four zones: a general use zone,Template:Sfn a conservation zone,Template:Sfn a seasonal closure zone,Template:Sfn and a wilderness zone.Template:Sfn A spawning aggregation zone was broken off in 2003 and comes under separate management (see below).
Hol Chan Belize Script error: No such module "convert". II Hol Chan Trust Fund 1987 Divided into four zones: Mangrove,Template:Sfn Seagrass,Template:Sfn Shark Ray Alley,Template:Sfn and Coral Reef.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
Port Honduras Toledo Script error: No such module "convert". IV Toledo Institute for Development and Environment 2000 Divided into two zones: a general use zone,Template:Sfn and a conservation zone.Template:Sfn
Sapodilla Cayes Toledo Script error: No such module "convert". IV Southern Environmental Association 1996 Template:Sfn
South Water Caye Stann Creek Script error: No such module "convert". IV — 1996 Template:Sfn[46]

Gallery

Attractions by district

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ There is no current co-management partner, nor on-site presence, though the area has been included in past conservation planning under Programme for Belize.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g Prospective co-management organisation. No formal co-management agreements are currently being made, but these organisations have informal co-management authority.
  3. ↑ No longer active.
  4. ↑ Until 2010, co-management was held by the Itzamna Society.
  5. ↑ Managed directly by the Forest Department as part of the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve.
  6. ↑ Currently has no co-management partner and is managed directly by the Forest Department, though with no on-site presence. It is considered a paper park.

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References

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  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". This is the list of the Top 77 nominees eligible for consideration by the Panel of Experts, that by July 21, 2009 will select the 28 Official Finalist Candidates.
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1"..
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ a b 2012: A Remarkable Year for Belize’s Tourism Industry. San Pedro Sun Newspaper. Retrieved on 6 March 2013.
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  43. ↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes".
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  45. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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External link

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