The Belize Tourism Board (BTB) launched the second phase of its Did You Know (DYK) campaign, which is aimed at increasing awareness among hoteliers, persons who own a home and rent rooms or businesses providing accommodation for remuneration purposes of the need to register with the Registrar of Hotels at the BTB.
All persons who own or operate a tourist accommodation (such as a room(s) in your home) for cash purposes to any guest, local or foreign, regardless of its location in the country or if you are registered or advertising such room or property with any booking engine or marketing platform such as Airbnb, you must FIRST register with the BTB as mandated by law. Registration with BTB must be done before advertising in any marketing platform.
According to Section 27 (1) of the Hotels and Tourist Accommodation Act, Chapter 285 of the Substantive Laws of Belize, (Revised Edition 2011) any person who without lawful excuse uses any premises as a hotel or tourist accommodation when such premises are not registered or when there is not in force a license granted to him by the Registrar authorizing him to use such premises for the business of a hotel or tourist accommodation, commits an offence and is liable, on summary conviction, to a fine or imprisonment or to both such fine and term of imprisonment.
The campaign is geared at home owners who rent rooms or managers of resorts, hotels, lodges, inns, vacation homes or guest houses, camp site or bed & breakfast facilities, motels or condominiums, time share units, bungalows or apartments, home stay program facilities, religious/educational & research facilities, villas or beach houses, community-based tourist establishments and dormitory, cottages or cabins.
As a registered guest accommodation service provider, license holders can operate legally and freely and contribute meaningfully to the sound development of our dynamic tourism industry as well as benefit from the strategic plans and promotions of the BTB.
As part of its DYK campaign, three informational videos will be released via radio, television, flyers, social media, bulletin boards, local newspapers, among others. The campaign will run from September this year to March 2020.
Please click the following link for the informational videos:
https://we.tl/t-4gHyvOSr8X
Registering a guest accommodation service is easy and forms can be downloaded from the BTB’s website at: http://www.belizetourismboard.org/industry-sectors/hotel-licence/
For further information or assistance please contact the BTB at email: licensing@belizetourismboard.orgor PHONE: 501-227-2420; FAX: 501-227-242
