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Belize City, Wednesday, July 19th, 2006 – In a collaborative effort to
develop the quality of human resources in the tourism industry, the
Belize Tourism Board, in conjunction with the Government of Austria, are
pleased to announce this year’s recipient of the Austrian Tourism
Scholarship, Mr. Kurt Clare
Mr. Clare has been working with the Belize Tourism Industry Association
for approximately four years. He first worked for the Belize Tourism
Training Unit (BTTU) in the capacity of Tourism Training Coordinator and
most recently as Marketing and Database Officer for the BTIA. He
currently holds the position of Marketing and Information Officer for
the BTIA.
Mr. Clare will be attending the Institute of Tourism and Hotel
Management, which is a branch of the world famous Klessheim School of
Tourism located in Salzburg, Austria. He enrolls in the Tourism and
Hospitality Program where he will be expected to undertake general
courses in this field during the first part of the program. The second
part of his training will require him to specialize in any one of the
following additional special modules: Hotel Management, Food & Beverage
Management, or Tourism Marketing & Travel Agency Management. At the end
of the eight-month program, which commences October 1st, 2006, Mr. Clare
will also be given the opportunity to gain practical experience by
opting to undertake a three-month internship program within a tourism
establishment in Austria.
The Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs offers approximately 30
scholarships to students from developing countries. Mr. Clare’s full
scholarship includes tuition, fees, food and accommodation, health
insurance, travel expenses and pocket money. “Tourism is an important
economic sector in our country,” comments Tourism Director, Tracy
Taegar-Panton. “Training continues to be at the vanguard for cultivating
the tourism product and in ensuring that young Belizeans build capacity
to become major stakeholders and industry leaders. The BTB extends our
sincere congratulations to Mr. Clare,” Taegar-Panton went on to say.
The Tourism Scholarship in Austria is awarded yearly to a Belizean
national desirous of pursuing a tourism career. Last year’s recipient
was Ms. Lorena Martinez, Marketing Officer of the BTB, who returned to
Belize in June.
This program has been instituted for the past six years with the
assistance of the Austrian Government. Other Belizeans who have
benefited includes Irma Matus, Erza Del Angel, Eliom Ellis, Victoria
Ogaldez, and Diana Rosito.
For more information on the developments and events Belize’s Tourism
Industry, please contact the Marketing Department at the Belize Tourism
Board at (501)-223-1913, via email:
btbb@btl.net or visit our website
www.travelbelize.org.
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Belize City, Monday, July 10th, 2006 - As the
statistics obtained from the Immigration Department validates, Belize
has seen an increase in the number of visits for the period January –
May, 2006.
Arrivals from all border points, inclusive of PGIA, Santa Elena Border
Station, Belize Western Border Station, Dangriga Town Seaport, Punta
Gorda Seaport, for the period, January thru May, 2006 increased by 4.3%
accounting for 119,645 overnight stays.
The Phillip Goldson International Airport represents 73.8% of the total
arrivals. The total number of tourists documented at PGIA for January
thru May was 90,918 visitors. During this same period last year the
total arrivals was 86,864 visitors which represents a 4.7% increase this
year.
The cruise sector welcomed 159 ships to port, accounting for a total of
341,731 passengers on board from January thru May, 2006. This represents
a 21.5% decrease in cruise passengers, compared to this same period for
last year. One of the major reasons for the decline was the removal of
the Carnival Elation from its Western – Caribbean itinerary. This
vessel, which was a year-round, weekly vessel, has since been taken out
of commission as it served to house Katrina victims in the Louisiana
area. For the months of June thru November, 2006, cruise ship calls will
continue to show decreased numbers in comparison to the same period last
year.
The Travel Industry Association (TIA’s) updated 2006 forecast predicts
another record year for consumer spending on travel. According to TIA’s
Summer Forecast, Americans will take 325.6 million leisure-person trips
during June, July, August 2006. Americans expect to stay away an average
of 6 nights on their longest pleasure trip. Travelers plan to spend an
average of $1,033 on their longest pleasure trip this summer,
essentially unchanged from the summer of 2005 ($1,019). This proves
beneficial to Belize as the North American Market accounts for
approximately 62% of the total tourism arrivals in Belize throughout the
year.
For more information on the developments and events Belize’s Tourism
Industry, please contact the Marketing Department at the Belize Tourism
Board at (501)-223-1913, via email:
btbb@btl.net or visit our website
www.travelbelize.org.
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Belize City, Tuesday, July 11th, 2006— In a continuous effort to assist
in the preservation of the environment of Belize, the Belize Tourism
Board donated approximately $60,000 worth of mooring buoy equipment to
the Fishers Department.
Mooring buoys are installed to mitigate anchor damage to the benthos,
especially coral reef systems. Since 1990 to the present, over 200
mooring buoys have been installed in Belizean waters. Using Mooring
Buoys as anchorage has helped to improve the management of our main
protected areas.
The equipment handed over to the Fisheries Department included Mooring
Buoys, Manta Ray Marine Mooring Anchor, Anchor Heavy Duty Mooring,
Shackle, Chafing Hose and Polypropylene Ropes. This is a second phase of
donation to the Fisheries Department. In August of 2004, the Belize
Tourism Board, in collaboration with The Moorings and TMM Chartering
Services, donated over $30,000 worth of mooring buoy installation
equipment to the Fisheries Department. These new equipment will be used
in environmentally sensitive areas such as Goff’s Caye, Glovers Reef,
and South Water Caye.
“We hope that the equipment will be valuable to the Fisheries
Department,” comments Tourism Director, Tracy Panton. “The Belize
Tourism Board is happy to assist in protecting our environment and
making our country better for future generations to enjoy.”
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.
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