Belize City, Belize – September 14th, 2012 – The Belize Tourism Board is pleased to announce that visitors from Brazil, Argentina, and Chile will no longer need visas to visit our beautiful country. The Statutory Instrument waiving visa requirements for visitors from these countries to Belize was signed in August, 2012. The Ministry of Tourism and the BTB views this as a major accomplishment as both have been working tirelessly to change the previous legislation.
“The visa waivers will allow for ease of entry for travellers from South America. This will encourage more visitors from these South American countries to travel to our jewel as we make travelling to Belize a more appealing and easier experience. North Americans have always travelled to Belize without visas and we are extending this courtesy to some countries in South America as well. The statutory instruments have been signed and the legislation is being gazetted,” remarked Hon. Manuel Heredia Jr., Minister of Tourism and Culture. Belize is one of the world’s leading emerging destinations and reforming travel requirements to our country without compromising national security is one way in which we remain competitive in a global tourism market.
Previously, the majority of tourists to Belize have come out of the North American market, especially the United States and Canada. It is expected that these visa waivers will increase the flow of tourists from the South American countries to Belize benefitting both the tourism industry and the economy. WTO statistics have verified that countries such as those from emerging economies within Latin and South America, and a few others, have been doing well economically and their populations have more disposable income and are travelling more.
For more information on the visa waivers, contact Alyssa Carnegie, Director of Marketing and Industry Relations at the Belize Tourism Board via e-mail acarnegie@travelbelize.org or via phone at 227-2488.
