|
BTIA Executive
Director Meets Representative Of
The British High Commission
December, 2005 |
|
On Wednesday, November 23rd, 2005, BTIA's Executive Director, Mr. Andrew
Godoy met with Ms. Catherine Kell - Third Secretary Political and Mrs.
Yancy Habet-Harrison - Assistant Consular Officer, both from the British
High Commission in Belmopan. The meeting was the step at creating a
strategic partnership between the BTIA and the High Commission in the area
of information gathering and sharing as related to Crime & Safety and
Security for British Tourist visiting or planning to visit Belize.
An important result of
this meeting was the agreement to jointly work on any future updates to
the British Travel Advisory for Belize located on the Foreign &
Commonwealth Office Website
http://www.fco.gov.uk. Similar agreements were established with
the United States Embassy here in Belize earlier this year.
In related updates,
BTIA's President - Lucy Fleming along with Ian Anderson, President of the
Belize National Tour Operator's Association and Mick Fleming, President of
the Belize Eco-Tourism Association, met with US Ambassador - Robert Dieter
on Wednesday November 9th to discuss policies and issues relating to the
Belize and US Governments, and our industry's immediate thoughts, future
goals and possible courses of action to secure a safer environment for the
visitors to our country. |
|
World Wildlife
Fund Launches 2006 Competition
December, 2005 |
|
World Wildlife Fund Launches 2006
Competition for
Fishing Gear that Reduce Accidental Marine
Life Deaths
~ $25,000 Grand Prize for “Smart Gear” that Lowers Bycatch Rate ~
San José, Costa Rica, 29/11/05. World Wildlife Fund today announced the
launch of the second WWF International Smart Gear Competition. The contest
seeks innovative fishing gear that reduces marine bycatch the accidental
catch and related deaths of marine mammals, birds, sea turtles and
non-target fish species in fishing gear such as nets and longlines.
“World Wildlife Fund’s
looking for real-world fishing solutions that allow fishermen to fish
‘smarter’better targeting their intended catch while safeguarding the
dolphins, sea turtles and other marine life often caught unintentionally,”
said Ginette Hemley, vice president, species conservation, World Wildlife
Fund. “This unique collaboration among conservationists, fishermen and
scientists is designed to inspire new technologies for more sustainable
fishing.”
The international
competition will award a $25,000 grand prize and two $5,000 runner-up
prizes to the designs judged to be the most practical, cost-effective
methods for reducing by catch of any species. The competition is open to
eligible entrants from any background–including fishermen, professional
gear manufacturers, teachers, students, engineers, scientists and backyard
inventors. Instructions for entry along with the competition rules are
available at www.smartgear.org
and completed entries must be submitted by March 15, 2006.
Conventional fishing gear
does often not allow users to selectively target their catch. As a result,
non-target fish species, marine mammals, birds, sea turtles and non-target
fish species are caught and sometimes killed. More than 25 percent of what
is caught in the course of fishing – as much as 20 million metric tons,
annually is thrown over the sides of fishing boats dead or dying. This
bycatch is the leading threat to many endangered marine mammals, sea
turtles and sea birds around the world.
“The WWF International
Smart Gear Competition aims to stop one of the biggest threats to healthy
marine ecosystems and related economic losses to fishermen,” said Hemley
of World Wildlife Fund. “We hope this competition harnesses the creativity
and ingenuity of fishermen, scientists and the public to reduce the waste
caused by inefficient gear.”
Last year, WWF awarded
three new practical solutions to marine bycatch: a system for keeping
longlines away from sea turtles by a former high-school biology teacher
and commercial fisherman; changes to the chemical properties of fishing
ropes and nets by a North American team; and modified trawls to reduce
bycatch of undersized shrimp and fish by a team of Indian scientists.
The winner of the WWF
International Smart Gear Competition will be decided by a diverse set of
judges, including fishermen, researchers, engineers and fisheries managers
from all over the world.
###
Known in the United States as World Wildlife Fund and recognized worldwide
by its panda logo, WWF leads international efforts to protect endangered
species and their habitats and to conserve the diversity of life on Earth.
Now in its fifth decade, WWF, the global conservation organization, works
in more than 100 countries around the world. For more information on World
Wildlife Fund, visit www.wwfca.org
For official competition
rules and to learn how to enter, please visit
www.smartgear.org. The
competition begins on November 29, 2005, and ends on March 15, 2006.
Employees, agents, current contractors, and relatives of employees of
World Wildlife Fund, Inc. or any WWF National Organization are ineligible.
Judges and relatives of Judges are also ineligible. The competition is
void where prohibited. Odds depend on number of entries received. No
purchase is necessary.
Note to editors: High
resolution photographs (2005 winners in the field and head shots, bycatch,
dolphins, whales, and sea turtles) and video (bycatch, dolphins, whales,
sea turtles, fishing boats) are available to accompany press stories
mentioning World Wildlife Fund or WWF. If used, appropriate credit must
also be given to the photographer.
For more information on
the WWF International Smart Gear Competition, go to
www.smartgear.org Or write
to: Cinthya Flores Mora, Communications Officer, WWF Central America,
Phone: +506 234 8434
Website: www.wwfca.org |
|
Building On The
Foundations Of Excellence
December, 2005 |
|
Stann Creek Ecumenical High School is the number one Secondary Teaching
Institution in the South and ranks 2nd in the entire country of Belize.
Over the years Ecumenical has always been the first to venture into new
and exciting academic goals, all in an effort to achieve excellence.
In 2001 Ecumenical
implemented its Tourism program to complement its already compact
curriculum. During its first few years the program has been meeting the
demands for trained personnel in the Tourism Industry, under the guidance
of its qualified instructors. Ecumenical earned the Tourism Teaching
Institution of the year in 2002. Since then the program has evolved and
taken a new approach in producing qualified students who can enter the
industry upon graduation. Students are trained under the Belize Tourism
Board requirements and guidelines, and most importantly certified at end
of each course. Students have the opportunity to be certified in
Communication Skills, Customer Relations, and Front Desk Operations. Last
year Ecumenical High School took its Hospitality program to the next
level: it graduated its first set of trained male and female waiters,
certified under B.T.B.’s Food and Beverage Service. The Hospitality
training includes: Kitchen Management, Chef Assistant, Basic Housekeeping,
Professionalism and Service Standards of Bartending, and waiter training
in both American and European techniques.
Over the last year
Ecumenical has extended its Tourism and Hospitality classes to the
off-campus experience. Students have the opportunity to travel to as many
districts as possible and visit as many Tourism establishments and
attractions during their training program. This allows students to become
more integrated into the industry and increase their awareness through
first hand experience of Belize’s Tourism Product. Our students have had
the opportunity to work as part-timers for resorts in Placencia and have
been recruited for their professional waiting skills by other resorts,
caterers, and individuals for private events such as weddings, and last
year Placencia’s Outstanding Achievement Awards, Dinner and Dance, held at
The Placencia Hotel and Residence.
Stann Creek Ecumenical
High School would like to say thank you to all who have been supporting
the program. It is only through the support of the private sector of the
Tourism Industry that this program can stay alive and continue to meet the
expectations of this growing and highly demanding industry. To complement
the training received at Ecumenical, our students can be afforded with
your support and generosity, the opportunity to experience and apply their
new skills at your prestigious establishment for 2 weeks for their work
experience held every year. Our aim is to supply qualified individuals to
meet your demands for excellent services.
If you would like to offer any assistance to our program you may contact
our office in Dangriga at phone #522-2114, Fax #522-3246 or e-mail
scec@btl.net. We also invite to
you to stop in at campus and visit our facilities. The administration,
staff and student body wishes everyone a safe and blessed Holiday
Greetings and a fruitful New Year. |
|
BTB
Hosts Tourism Policy Forum for CEO’s and Donor Agencies
December, 2005 |
|
Belize City, Monday, December 5th, 2005
– The Belize Tourism Board hosted a Policy Presentation on its Revised
Tourism Policy for Members of the Diplomatic Corps, CEO’s, donor agencies,
and other key government officials on Friday, December 2nd at the Belize
Biltmore Plaza Hotel.
This Report stressed the
need for responsible tourism within an approach that embraced the ethics
of eco-tourism, but which called for a more proactive approach by the
relevant stakeholders to develop, market, and manage Belize’s tourism
industry.
As a result of the
exponential growth in the cruise sector, there was a need to revisit and
update the existing strategy plan. The policy was updated in February of
this year. Other factors contributing to the update of the policy was the
extraordinary increase in cruise tourism, the opportunity Belize has to
capitalize on the growth of the experiential market, the increasing
competitiveness that Belize faces globally and regionally as destinations
seek to develop their competitive advantages, and the increasing
orientation of competitive destinations to manage their tourism sector
based on best practices, but always within the context of a national
vision and national tourism policy.
“Tourism is the world’s
leading industry and its growth rate is significant. It is essential that
the policy be shared with our key industry stakeholders so that they are
better able to assist in addressing the issues and challenges faced by the
Belize tourism sector today.”
The Belize Tourism Policy
2005 articulates the way forward for the tourism development taking into
account the economic benefits for all Belizeans. It calls for private and
public sector integration to manage tourism through business principles.
In order to have destination management through both sectors, there must
be consistent and open communication, as common vision in order to
rationalize through critical decision - making or controversies as they
may arise. The Tourism Policy has also been endorsed by Cabinet.
The forum was opened by the Minister of Tourism, Hon. Godfrey Smith.
For more information on
developments and events in Belize’s tourism industry, please contact the
Marketing Department at the Belize Tourism Board at 223-1913, via e-mail:
btbb@btl.net or visit us at our
website www.travelbelize.org
|
|
New Membership
Feature Added To BTIA Website
December, 2005 |
|
The BTIA is pleased to announce that it has added a BTIA Membership Forums
Board to the website www.btia.org .
The forums is accessible by all members using their respective username
and password to login into the Members Only section of the website. The
objective of the message board is to provide member with a forum for
sharing their comments, opinions and the like to ensure that they have
active representation for issues that affect our vibrant industry.
Currently there are two
'Topic' within the forum that we would like to have your feedback and
comments on. These are the proposed implementation of the GST - General
Sales Tax and also the CSME - CARICOM Single Market & Economy. All members
are encouraged to review the introductory information regarding these two
important topics and provide their feedback and comments.
The BTIA Forums is
moderated by the BTIA Secretariat and will be monitored on a daily basis. |
|
BTIA
Appoints New Crime Control Council Representative
December, 2005 |
|
The BTIA Board of Directors has appointed Mr. Alberto Young as the new
BTIA Representative for the Crime Control Council. Mr. Young is currently
employed as the General Manager of MADISCO - Marketing and Distribution
Company and comes highly recommended in the area of crime control as he is
also a member of the Crime Stoppers Network, a member of BTIA and also a
Rotarian.
The Crime Control
Council meets monthly to review the crime issues affecting both the
tourism industry and the country in general. The council is made up of
representative from the Ministries of Home Affairs, Defense , Human
Development, Chief Magistrate, Commissioner of Police, Director of Public
Prosecutions, Bar Association, BTIA, BCCI, BBB, ANDA, BACONGO, UDP among
others.
BTIA Members are
reminded that earlier this year, our BTIA Safety and Security Officer -
Mike Green, assisted in the development of the Tourism Crime Report Form.
The form is accessible from the document center on the BTIA website and
members are ask to kindly fill out and submit the completed report to the
B.T.I.A. National Office no later than 24 hours after any incident. The
report can be faxed to 227-8710 or emailed to
info@btia.org. |
|
Tourism
Awareness Week - National Tourism Awards
December, 2005 |
|
The Belize Tourism Board has announced that the annual Tourism Awareness
Week will be held early next year commencing on Monday, January 16th and
culminating with the National Tourism Awards on Friday, January 20th, 2005
at the Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza. At present the Board is seeking
nominations for the respective categories.
Nominations will be
accepted for the Hotel of the Year, Tour Operator of the Year, Tour Guide
of the Year, Receptive Service of the Year, Environmental Organization of
the Year, Educational Organization of the Year, Front-line Person of the
Year and Corporate Organization of the Year, Small Hotel of the Year &
Cultural Development Award. The deadline for nominations is December 23rd,
2005.
The BTB appreciates your
quick response so the forms can be processed and the recipients named.
Please make space on your calendar for the Awards Banquet .
Nomination Forms can be
accessed on the front page of the
www.travelbelize.org web site or a direct link
http://www.travelbelize.org/awards.html. |
|
BHA
Position Paper On Proposed GST On Accommodations
December, 2005 |
|
At the Belize Hotel Association AGM on 22nd November, Minister Jose Coye
briefed the membership on General Sales Tax and a proposal to apply this
10% tax to the Accommodation sector's room rates. The proposal was not to
replace the accommodation tax, but to be in addition to a reduced
accommodation tax. There was much concern expressed by the members and an
overall opposition to this proposal.
After much discussion, a
motion was made and unanimously supported by the membership, that a task
force be formed to immediately review the suggested proposal and come up
with recommendations to GOB on behalf of the association and the hotel
sector.
The task force was formed
at the AGM and a meeting was scheduled for the following morning.
Following is the result of that meeting held at 8:30 am on November 23rd:
A clear position was taken after much deliberation among the 12 members of
the task force. The position is:
1. BHA supports the existing 9% accommodation tax collected by the
BTB that supports international and national marketing initiatives,
tourism training programs, public relations projects and tourism product
development under the auspices of the Belize Tourism Board.
2. BHA reiterates that in reference to the proposed General Sales
Tax
on accommodations, the hotel sector is an export industry and therefore is
not subject to the application of GST.
3. BHA and the task force calls upon the Belize Tourism Board and
Ministry of Tourism to present to the Hotel Association their position on
the proposed GST tax and the existing accommodation tax. The hotel
industry is very productive and any additional taxes will create negative
effects on its productivity.
BHA Mission Statement: The
Belize Hotel Association will encourage and support the sustainable growth
of member hotels through lobbying efforts, national and international
linkages, marketing initiatives and training opportunities |
