The unwavering efforts of the Belize Tourism Board and its industry stakeholders and partners to market Belize as one of the world’s leading tourism destinations is paying off. The latest statistics for the first quarter of this year show an impressive and persistent growth in both overnight and cruise ship arrivals to Belize predicting yet another bumper-crop year for the tourism industry. The following is a breakdown of the latest figures for the first quarter of 2019 for both overnight and cruise ship arrivals.
OVERNIGHT ARRIVALS UP BY 6.3% IN FIRST QUARTER OF 2019
Overnight arrivals to Belize increased by 6.6% in March 2019. The number of overnight visitors in March 2019 was just short of 58,000 persons. This is an all-time high for visitor arrivals in March as well as any other previous month. The month of March 2019, marked the 28th consecutive month of year over year monthly increases for visitor arrivals to Belize. There was a cumulative increase of 6.3% in visitor arrivals through the first quarter of 2019, compared to the same period last year.
CRUISE SHIP ARRIVALS REGISTER 19.5% INCREASE IN FIRST QUARTER OF 2019
In March 2019, cruise passenger arrivals totaled over 143,000 visitors. This represented a 8.4% increase or over 11,000 more visitors than that of the previous year. Total cruise ship calls were 45 for this month. At the end of the first quarter, cruise passenger arrivals experienced a 19.5% increase. Arrivals for 2019, include visitors from both Belize City and Harvest Caye Seaports.
Belize is an enchanted destination. Its activities, attractions and culture are so diverse. Visitors are always captivated by the vast variety and uniqueness of the country’s attractions. They are particularly intrigued by the diversity and unique blend offered by Belize’s rainforest and reef (R & R) based tourism. Wherever the visitor goes, he will always find something unique, adventurous and interesting.
The BTB once more reiterates its strong commitment to continue working with our valued partners and stakeholders in executing innovative strategies to market, develop and enhance Belize’s tourism product for the enjoyment of both visitors and Belizeans. Belize, a Curious Place.
