With the outbreak of COVID-19, the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) assures our partners and tourism stakeholders that we remain vigilant in monitoring the situation in order to provide the most up-to-date information available:
Status of COVID-19 in Belize:
As of Thursday, March 19th, 2020, Belize’s Ministry of Health (MOH) indicates that there are NO confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Belize.
Ports of entry:
The Philip Goldson International Airport and the Santa Elena Border (Northern Border with Mexico) remain open. Belize’s Western Border with Guatemala will be closed for 15 days effective immediately, as are all other small ports of entry. The border closure does not apply to our sea ports; these remain open for cargo traffic.
Flight Update
United Airlines – Effective April 1st, 2020, United has announced that there will only be one daily afternoon flight from Houston.
Avianca – Effective immediately, Avianca has suspended its operations to Belize at the direction of the Salvadoran government for fifteen (15) days in the first instance.
WestJet – Effective, Sunday March 22nd, 2020 at 11:59pm, WestJet will be suspending flights to the US, Europe, Mexico, Caribbean, and Central America including Belize, for a period of 30 days in the first instance.
Air Canada – Air Canada will be temporarily suspending service from Toronto to Belize City from March 31st – April 30th, 2020.
Cruise Operations
All cruise lines have paused operations for 30 days with immediate effect.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. In accordance with the MOH best practices, BTB encourages stakeholders to continue promoting good hygiene practices.
2. Stakeholders are also encouraged to adopt the recommendations announced by the Prime Minister in his Press Conference on Monday, May 16th:
a. Wash hands frequently
b. Make hand sanitizers available to staff and guests, and institute more frequent sanitizing of public spaces at your property
c. Practice social distancing – gatherings of more than 100 persons is highly discouraged
3. BTB encourages all hotels to waive or be flexible on cancellation and change fees. Offering incentives such as a free night or other special packages can be helpful to travelers in these difficult times.
4. If all efforts fail and the traveler demands a refund, we encourage you to consider it and facilitate. The destination’s image and the way we assist travelers during this time will be important in how well we rebound when normalcy returns.
5. Visit the Belize Tourism Board website for important updates from the Government of Belize and the Ministry of Health.
