The Belize Tourism Board (BTB) is pleased to announce the launch of its Action Plan for the years 2013-2015. Following a successful completion of Action Plan 2010-2012, the BTB embarked on multiple consultations with the tourism industry stakeholders and has crafted a realistic and measurable plan that will ensure Belize’s growth and longevity in the global tourism industry. After experiencing a record-breaking year in 2012, the Action Plan 2013-2015 was drafted with a base of tailored work plans and budgets in order to capitalize on our previous successes.
The Belize Tourism Board invited industry partners to San Pedro where it held its 12th annual Industry Presentation on Friday, January, 11, 2012. The presentation first outlined the successes of 2012 with included record-breaking quarters in tourism arrivals (10% increase overall) and a profitable year for Belize. Then the board members were very anxious to reveal the new three-year Action Plan.
The Action Plan 2013-2015 seeks to strategically position Belize through innovative, industry targeted sub-branding of the overall new identity for Belize. After months of research and dialogue with its partners, the Belize Tourism Board was extremely proud to unveil the new creative that will position Belize in a defining manner.
The changes for the new look range from colour palettes, small tweaking of the logo and new direction for the brand, which is reflective of Belize’s authenticity as a first class tourist destination. It has been 26 years since Belize has been “Mother Nature’s Best Kept Secret,” but research has shown that the time has come for the country’s brand to move in a new direction, for a call to action, and for that reason, ‘Discover How to Be” is Belize’s new campaign.
According to Director of Marketing and Industry Relations, Alyssa Carnegie, while the rebranding is geared towards smarter marketing of the Belize product in the global tourism market; it will also assist local stakeholders to better tailor their product offerings and enhance visitor experience. The BTB firmly believes that this repurposing of the brand will help to solidify Belize’s position on the international tourism map.
Guided by the framework of the National Sustainable Tourism Master Plan (NSTMP), the Action Plan embraces priorities in all key departments, with an emphasis on Marketing & Industry Relations; Destination Planning; Quality Assurance; Information Management & Revenue Collection.
Marketing & Industry Relations seeks to explore three core competencies, Strategic Marketing, Tourism Marketing Network and Operational Marketing that will stimulate, but isn’t limited to, key tourism positioning, enhanced communication, renewed tourism awareness and the introduction of new marketing technologies that will lead to increases across the board and tapping into new markets.
Destination Planning’s development will focus on six key areas, three of which include nature, culture and cruise, which are expected to spur business & product development, infrastructural expansion, increased sustainability and capacity building, which will also, positively impact governance.
The Quality Assurance, through the action plan, is deeply rooted in standards & quality management, capacity building & training, and sustainable tourism development, which are expected to positively impact the standards and classification system, conservation of resources, and certification programs.
Information Management’s key is to utilize data and knowledge management to ensure of a high quality collection, analysis and security of data which will be accessible via a web-based system. This system will also impact timely data gathered on tax collections, non-filers and delinquencies.
For copies of Action Plan 2013-1015, you can call the BTB at 227-2420.
