WP/ETCD/L.85/5
Date:

19 November 1985

Distribution:

Limited

ECONOMIC COmiSSION FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean
UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME

EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVES
IN TOURISTIC DEVELOPMENT OF BELIZE

9 0 0 0 1 8 9 5 2 - BIBLIOTECA CEPAL

Prepared

by

Patrick Alexander
Consultant

The views expressed in this document are those of the Consultant and do not
necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or of any CDCC Member Government.

«6

BELIZE:

SECTQRAI.. DEVELOPMENT PLAN:

TOURISM

1.

InLroduction and Background

1.1

The terms of reference for the consultant preparing the
Tourism Sector Plan for J3elize are reproduced at Appendix
I.

This section deals with item 1 of those terms of

reference namely:

Evaluation of Al te i nat i ves of Touristic
*

Development of Belize, starting with propositions already
presented to the Government.
1.2

During discussions with the Ministers' of Tourism and
Economic Development of Belize as well as with officials
of the Office of Economic Development, it was agreed

that

for a number of reasons, the more useful approach in respect of the tourism sectoral plan would be a two
dimensional one which involves :
(i)

the préparation of a five year (medium range)
planning framework - in essence-an

indicative

plan providing general guidelines for the development of tourism and;
(ii)

a .sectoral strategy containing a set of logic
steps for action in the immediate term - this to
be used by the Government to provide the necessary
stimulus for action beginning almost immediately.

1.3

The logic of this•approach recommends itself.

To attempt

more than ah indicative plan for the next five years
would not make much sense given the existing circumstances which include :
/2

(i)

t l e c u r 1 e n t ¿ib s e i i c e o f c 1 e r c 1 1 g o v e i 1 m e n t
i
"
:
: .
1;
: 1
:
policy in relation to V / . t Be J i ze
'hn
.

.•

; n t s f rom
> .

tourism;

(ii)

the ever-ci"i;inging influences and characteristics
of world

tourism which rt.quiros cons I a i t men i t or i ng
i
:

of and flexibility with respect to. market place
developments;
(iii)

the tremendous unce r I a i n t y s u r r o u n d .. n g r a s o i r c i:
,
i
i
;
.
availability vis a vis lourism development resources both.financial and technical and;

(iv)

i n f r a s t r uc t u r a 1 u nce i I i 1 1 i; s e.g. a ccorn¡nod a t i o n ,
: :
1 i:
air transport, ground operations and so on.

1.4

In addition to these, the present Governmen t:'s approach
i.e. to publicly declare tourism as a high priority in-

;

dustry is not nearly enough, in t i ; face of a .situation
te
in which the previous Government, virtually frowned on
the industry and from all accounts, did its utmost to
discourage its development.
people industry, reguiring
the population at large.

Tourism is a service or
the overall involvement of

An entire psyclie - a modification

to prevailing attitudes amongst Government officials;
bankers, front line people in hotels and other tourism
establishments, school children, taxi drivers and so
on

has to be changed, if tourism is to play- thti desired

role in the economic development of Belize. • As is the
case ail over the Caribbean, Africa and the Pacific, the
Government has to take the lead role.

There simply is

no evidence that a variant to this will work - even one
which has secured thé good blessings and firm
of a vibrant private sector.

promises

The Government must take .
.. .:

/3

f

the lead in a manner realistic wiLli its resources and
cap.:i)3ili ties .

Which brings us to the second d imension

of the approach adopted herein.
1.5

The sectoral strategy provides the Government with a
recommended course of action for galvanizing
actors and agents involved in tourism.
r e a I ism:

(he various

It is based on

what is achievable wilhin a reasonable timeframe

given the severe resource con.straints faced by the Govern-

i
'Í.

nient.

The emphasis throughout is on siriallness - action

to be undertaken in manageable proportions, sometimes in
sequence and at other times on a parallel basis.

iCach

action or activity is intended to address critical

issues

and/or produce results within the near-term

time-horizon.

At tlie same time, each activity is rntendcd

to be consistent

with, or supportive of, the longer term indicative plan.
1.6

TOURISM will not JUST HAPE^EN.

Once the decision to pursue

tourism as meaningful economic activity is taken (as is
the case with Belize) then the Governmen I needs to tangibly
:
demonstrate a commitment to making the industry an economically viable one.

This requires taking hard desisions in-

respect of allocating
^
-

very careful

(albeit scarce) resources.

Yet, with

thinking and planning, small budgets can be

put to very good use in the development and marketing of
fe

a viable tourism product and in the maximiza l:ion of the
economic contribution of tourism.

The competition for shares

in the world tourist dollar is increasing every day.

In the

Caribbean alone, the Bahamas, Barbeados and Jamaica spend a
combined US$40 million or so annually to just market and
promote their tourism product.

Ireland spends US.$4 million.

The task for Belize will be difficult one.
/4

„ ¡f -

2.

TÍie neiizé Tourism Prodücl: : A I : a i for (lotirism doveloprneht
:)ss
1

2.i

The tourism product is a set of experiences.

It includes

"Í

\

travel and accornmod £ t ion, activities wliich take place in
i

i
a s p e c i 1 i c e n v i r o l í í e i t ( s o c i a .. , c l . 1 u r a 1 ^ p 1 y s . c: a 1 ) a n d
:
t i
i
1
i 1
1
i ;
i t i:equ iras th a t a 11 relevant f .i i 1 i t . e s a nd s t i vices ¿ r e
ic
i
• ;
i
provided.

The holiday product will consist of six com-

ponents :

I
i

I
(i)

Environment - physical, social, cultural

(ii)

Activities - things whicli can be done by the visitoi

(iii)

Travei - to/f roiri/wi thin the destination

(iv)

Accommodation - where the visitor .stays

(v)

Service-s - information and other heed.s

(vi)

Infrastructure - basics such as roads, telephones
and so on .

Thi.s definition sees the product as a total experience.
A failure or weakness in any of the comÍDohents will
diminish the total experience.
2.2

Some assessment of the Belize touri.sm product ha.s already
taken p.lace.

The latest of these include one by

Steingenberger Consulting and another

(earlier) one by

the Pool of Marketing Specialist.s at the Caribbean Tourism
Research and Develop|-nent Centre

(CTRC).

In fact, both

efforts were undertaken uhcier the auspice.s of the European
Marketing Project executed by CTRC ¿ihd CTA .

These assess-

ment.'? form the basis of the analysis here concerning

the

Belize tourism product and the concomitant proposals for
it.s sec toral developitieh t.
2.3

The most striking tourism potentia.1 exists in the following areas :
/5

/i
s)
^f
f

( i)

the co¿1 s I a 1 a n l m¿1 r i n o .1c a s
:
c
.

(ii)

the forest, mountain and wildlife areas and;

(iii)

the ethnic and cultural areas with some emphaai.s
on Mayan archaeological sites and on cultural
ac tivi ties .

Some of these can be made more productive in the very
short term, others will require development and/or en4

iiancement over the much loncjer term.

i:ach of these is

dealt with in turn below.
2.4

The coastal and marine areas contain great potential for
diving and snorkeling, deep sea fishing, sailing and
cruising and activity involving marine v^íildlife.

In

addition traditional sandy t>cacl) activities can be enjoyed at Placentia on the coastline and on the Caves at
Ambergris, Caye Caulker and Caye Chapel to mention a few.
Since these areas will be dealt with in considerable d t tail
:
in a report soon to be given to the Government, no time
will be wasted in duplicating those details in this
document.

Suffice to day that in the opinion of marine

activities experts, Belize abounds in potential.

These

e.xperts have for example described the Blue Hole v/hich
was investigated by Jacques Cousteau in 1972 a s the
.
f

world's unique dive site.

This immense spherical under-

water hole formed by the collapse of a dry subterranean
cave is felt to be sufficiently unique to attract divers
to Belize.

And. it has been
Stiid t I a t only in Belize
t

would divers find startlingly clear blue waters inside a
massive rock-walled sphere containing long stalagtites
that elsewhere are

found

only in land-based caverns. The

attributes of the Belize diving potential are described
in vivid detail
in a report done by diver Nicho.las Weir
/6
for CTRC in June 1905.

2.5

The fishing, sailing and cruising poLential o I Belize has
:
also received rave reviews.

The PMS group has pointed to

the big gamefish whicli migrate Lhrough lielizean v;aters

•
;

twice a year and the attracUion this holds Tor American
sportsmen, as has been success tully exploited by the
Cayman I.slands and to a lesser extent, Barbados.

As lor

cruising and sailing, the coastal waters of Fieliz.e are
thought to be superb; given the combination of trade winds,
clear v/aters and choice of interesting anchorages

^

(the

Steingenberger report will provide greater detail con-

• ^

cerning these attributes).
2.6

The forest, mountain and wildlife areas are thought to
represent substantial opportunities for tourism.

Although

the range and content of these resources are yet to be
catalogued, it is clear that potential exists in the
following;
(i)

animal wildlife - a wide range with species from
both North and South America;

(ii)

birdlife - more than 500

species identified;

•

(iii)

butterflies - an apparent wide range of interesting
species which could.be the subject of close study;

(iv)

flora/trees - over - , 000 species including a wide
^
J
range of orchids, tropical rain forest;

(v)

scenic areas - with great opportunities for
canoeing and fishing;

(vi)

caves - some of the largest and most

interesting

in the world are allegedly to be found in the
southern mountains of Belize.
........ Ir

3.
'

- 7 -

2.7

The Mayan sites and oLher historjcal and c i . L i r a ] a s s e t s
i 1 .
i
represents the third area of tourism potential in Belize.
Mayan civilization flourishexl in Belize for a long period
and some 400 sites of Mayan activitie.s have been identified to date although only five of those v/hich have been
partially cleared and restored are open - to the public..

jj
^
i

In addition to these Mayan site.'.;, the ethnic mixture of
Belize provides interest and variability across the country

•
Í

and carries with it the potential for development of a
variety of cultural en ter tax nmen t and liand.i.c r af t .

Tlie

main art forms - Creole, Mestizo, Mayan, Ketchi, Garifuna
and East Indian, each subscribes a uniqueness of culture
to Belize and can successfully be developed into a cultural experience for visitors to the country.
2.8

The challenge therefore is for the development of tourism
in Belize, using as the basis the three high potential
touri.sm assets described above . i d formulating the-se
^n
into a cohesive, identifiable product called the Belize
tourism product.

The elements of a strategy which follow

are aimed at developing

these targets of opportunity to

the maximum potential possible, given
^

the various con-

straints, and in a manner which sets Belize apart from
the competition.'

The stratagem therefore envisages ;

(i)

the coas tal and m£irine areas

(ii)

the forests, mountains and wildlife areas and

(iii)

the Mayan sites and o I1 e r h i s t o t j . c a 1 and c u 11 u r a 1
-1
r
areas.

Suggestions are presented for both immediate and longer
term action.
/8

-

The Tourism

6

-

Devc3 opmcn L S t r a I t c y
:
-j

3.

Action over the Inimojdiate to ohoi.l; TcMin

3.1

In this section of the document, the proposal:: for action
in the immediate to short term arc presented.
before actually getting

However,

to the proposals, it is useful to

consider the institutional framework and-.issues central to

%

succes.sfUl development of tourism in Belize .

ol
.

3.2

Several critical areas need to be addressed.
(i)

f

These include

development /enhancement of the tourism product
(experience);

(ii)

marketing and promotion of the product;

(iii)

training and hum¿tn resource development and;

(iv)

development and maximization of inter-sectoral

—

linkages e.g. agriculture, handicraft and so on.
In addition, a fifth and perhaps the most crucial issue is '
"Iv'hat does the Government want from tourism?"

The draft .

.

macroeconomic plan presently being prepared is^so far,
silent on the specific economic rolé desired or intended
for tourism.

To the extent that clarity with respect to

the expectations of the Government vis-a-vis tourism makes
planning in this sector easier, it should be recognized

Ü
)

that there may subseguently be need to revise or modify
action recommended i.e. at the time that these expectations
are crystallized.

As such, given

that planning should not

and must not take place in watertight compartments, there will, be need for adjustments as information and results
become, available.

The fundamental approach

throughout

should be ah attempt to match resources with what customers
and potential customers indicate they want and to limit the
field by concentrating on strengths and segmenting markets.
A

/9

.

-

3.3

^

In Belize, the Government
number two

hns .sLatecl th.it l;ouri.sin is the

(2) development

priority.

This staioinent,

though useful, provides Jit tie dxrection in tei.-; of
irn':
specificity, its ability to be quantified
for measurement.
p 1 a n a ] 1 uded
.

Given

r i l i t s capacity
uc
.

thi.s and the .silenc

to a t pa r ag r a p i 3 . 2 , th
l

in the macro

:. n i c r p rc: t a t i on i .•
i
;
'
. •;
:

subject to considerable seci.md guessing.

Neve r thc:less ,

based on conversa t i o n s w i 111 G o v e r n n i e n t o f J i c i a 1 s , s o m e
:
.
notion of what is intended
notion) suggesting

is offered.

Without is,

(this

a framework for planning would make

little, j f any, sense.
.
3.4

The a.ssumption is that the Government of Ct;lixie has the
following objectives in mind for
(i)

(export)

tourism:

the achievement of ma.ximum revenue per head
from

(ii)

visitors;

an increase in the actual number of visitors to
Belize having regard

to the need to preserve

the

existing social and cultural fabric of the people
of Belize,
iii

(iii)

and;

the maximization of the nel; contribution of

tourism

to the balance-of-payments of Belize.
The short term strategy and subsequent operational
work which follow are designed

to facilitate

frame-

the achievement

of these objectives.
NEAR-TERM STRATEGY
Enabling
3.5

The

(Phase I)

Institutional

Arrangement;

Government, in its lead role, should undertake
/ 10

the

- 10

following initial
(i)

tasks:

Objectives - Announce I:he objective.s presented at
parag.raph 3.4 or some variant Lhereto, as necessary.
This would provide all of the actors/agents

involved

Jn tourism with a common set of objectives on which
to focus and therefore increase the prospects for
coordinated, s y n e rg i z ecl a c t i v i t i c s • i i i > e r pe c t o Í
;
: >
:
those objectives.
(ii)

f
h

%
SI

Organization - Change Lhe Governmental tourism
operating framework.

At: present, there is a Min-

ister, a Permanent Secretary, a Tourist Board

(with

public and private sector members) and a staff at
the Board - in other words, a hopelessly

inadequate

situation for an industry assigned such hi-level
priority.

The changes or activities recommended are

as follows:
(a)

Appointment of a tourism adviser for two-three

years reporting directly

to the Minister with re-

sponsibility for implementing the tourism plan. CPTC
should be approached and requested to fund an experienced Caribbean national for this appointment;
(b) ' : Appointment of a director of tourism designate
for Belize - a Belizean national to understudy the
tourism adviser;
(c)

Staffing of the Ministry with, as a minimum
a research and planning officer

(economics,

hotels, standards etc.)
a statistician

(arrivals, bed nights, revenue

per head etc . )
-

a marketing officer

(market analysis,

promotional

literature, exhibitions etc.)
/II

%

%

-

I

rt

-

These are vital functions necessiiry for the formulation of tourism policy and decision making in
respect of planning, marketing, facilitation and
so on.

The Minister of Tourism needs to keep his

pulse on developments which are constantly occuring
in the marketplace and to provide leadership and
action as the need arises .

The Lourism adviser

would be responsible, in the initial pliase, for

'
A
(,
>

overseeing the training and development of tlie
Ministry's staff and for guiding the Minister in
respect of development of the tourism product.

"if.

These functions should subsequently pa.ss to the
director of tourism as head of the tourism
3.6

authority.

In making the organizational change at 3.5(d), some thought
has to obviously be given to the existing

arrangements.

Tlie Tourist Board should remain in place and continue to
be advisory.

The staff of the Board could possibly, v/ith

some additional training, form the core staff of the Ministry.

In other countries where a full-fledged Board of

Tourism exists, e.g. Ireland, that Board is an economic
entity - purely, simply and categorically.

For Belize

though - the following seems adequate :
(i)

the establishment of a unit in the Ministry of Tourism
as described above (tourism adviser, director of

•
f

tourism designate, and one officer each to function
in planning and research, statistics and marketing
and promotion respectively) to be the tourism
authority;
(ii)

maintenance of an office or outlet in Belize City
to serve strictly and only as a visitor
bureau

information

(this could also be undertaken at the airport);
/12

-

(ii.i)

12

-

retention of the existing Tourist Board
the Governmenl; in general

to advise

I ourisrn policy

In this scenario, the economic entity for

areas.

tourism would be

the Export and Investment Promotion Unit whicli would be
responsible for ¡ the economic development oT the tourism
sector within,of course,the general macro economic
work as designed and implemented
Economic Development.

tlvrough the Office of

Obviously, very close coordination

will be required among these three entities
investment and economic
3.7

One final word.

frame-

tourism,

development.

The responsibility

for collecting

the room

taxes from hotels should once and for all b; removed
'^

from

any of the tourism entities and placed squarely in the
tiands of the Ministry of Finance.
NEAR TERM STRATEGY
3.0

Having instituted

(Phase II)
the enabling institutional

arrangements,

tlie second phase of activities in the near-term
can be embai^ked upon.
should be an on-going

strategy

Training of the staff of the Ministry
exercise in this phase and indeed be-

yond and is therefore not specifically singled out as a
separate

activity.

é
• -J

Dcvelopmeht/Enhahcemeht
3;9

Eor the immediate

of the tourism produce or experler)co

term, the objective would be to enhance

the tourism product within the previously noted

budgetary

constraints i ^e. increase thcs. total number of visi tors anc^
revenue per head from visitors

tlirough simple

and highly selective actions;

This means, in a sense,

; working largely with the existing

inexpensive

product offer.

The

actions recommended here are as follows:
.. ^

/15

-

(,i)
:

-

the accommodation f ac:i li t ic;; , pac ticu 1 nrly thoac
offered by the small Belizean operators on^ for
example. Ambergris Caye, should be upgraded;

(b)

a scuba diving standards manual should be prepared
in simple language for use by evcMi the most basicdive operators;

í*,
(c)

the Mayan sites at Altun Ma and Xunantunich should
be adequately signposted v/ith descriptive
on tliose sites;

descriptive

information

"take away" literature

should be made available for; visitors to individual
sites; the site centres should Ije equipped with
simple rest facilities e.g. toilets should be added
to what presently exists;
(d)

the few operators offering in-land expeditions should
be encouraged to develop simple but creative
e.g.

"packages

canoeing into the hinterland combined with a

horseback trek to caves and so on;
(e)

one or two specific hiking trails should be struck
to specific sites of interest.

«

3.10

The machinery for implementing these suggestions is rather
simple.

The upgrading of accommodation facilities would

involve getting the Office of Economic Development and the
Development Finance Corporation to make specific,
allocations to Belizean

low-cost

(Nationals) operators to improve/

upgrade existing facilities.

Hand in hand with this should

go a short course through the Caribbean fiotel Association
in financial and property management followed by a one or
two week seminar

(funded by USAID) by the Caribbean Hotel

Training Institute or the Barbados Hotel School, for hotel

-

-.

v/orkers in key centres e.g. Belize City and San Pedro, while
this is taking place, the CTRC should be asked to assist
in establishing a hotel grading system and the core staff
of the Ministry

(already appointed) trained in its applica-

tion.
3.11

The PMS group at CTRC has already developed a scuba diving
standards manual and should be approached for its applciation to Belize.

%

Specitic lollow-through in terms of: its

use should then be undertaken since, its usefulness is

$

realized really as a marketing tool.
3.12

Signposting at the Mayan ruins identified should be undertaken
by the Department of Archaeology.

The British Army has already

donated some signposts and may be willing to assist in actually
preparing and placing the signposts (in a creative manner
and with the information provided by the Department).

The

army crops of engineers might also be interested in cleaning
some of the sites (Xunantunich reguires a lot of v/ork) and
in establishing proper restroom
3.13

facilities.

The U.S. Park Service recently provided assistance to Grenada
in the restoration of its Grand Etang Park and might be
willing to assist in the establishment of one or t i o hiking
v/
trails - if only in their identification.

V,

Also, the "ex-

peditions activities" need to be formally and systematic.Qly

^»
t

examined, in the first instance, to see how they might be
offered as an attractive, creative package.

^

This should

be undertaken by the Tourism Adviser, based on marketplace
information

(assumed to be) already in his or her possession.

/659

'

Marketing and Promoting l:hc Product
3.14

Having undertaken the product: impío veinen I ac t i vi lies above,
:
;
Belize should then set about promoting and marketing
product, within, again, the budgetary con.str ain ts .

the
These

constraints call for highly selective targeting of expenditure.

l
í
i

Given also that no money currently exists for

undertaking market research germane to Belize and that in
any case, the present level of accommodation limits the
country's "carrying" capacity, the task is .somewhat simplified in the short term.
3.15

The following approach is recommended :
(a)

The tourism adviser and tlie marketing officer should
establish direct links with the umbrella marketing
organization - the Caribbean Tourism

Association

(CTA) - to secure its support and guidance ove^r the
years ahead;
(b)

I i th the help of CTA, one or two v/orthy tour operaV
tors should be identified and invited to Belize to
explore the potential for marketing package tours
to the country;

(c)

The recent literature/market research describing

the

growth potential of the 13 Western states in the
United States should be carefully reviewed and if
possible discussions with people from the likes of
Sunset Magazine held

(these people have often ex-

pressed a willingness to assist Caribbean countries
and they are a useful, though secondary source, of
good information which would otherwise be unaffordable
to Belize);
/16

-

16 -

/

(;.
d)

The literívture concerning successful development:
of outdoor "expedition-Lype" vacations

(and at

great cost) in Hawaii should be reviewed and analyzecá;

- sources include 1985 editions of Signature

magazine;
(e)

The European Office of CTA should foe requested to
field a photo journalist mission to Ijelizo under
. the regional' marketing; programme

to prepare a color

slide presentation, on Belize for the marketing
library of Belize;
{f )
'

The EEC should be asked to set aside a modest allocation: for the printing of promotional materials
e.g. broclKi:res for travel agents and so on out of the
Lome III National Indicative

(g)

Programme.

Acting with the guidance of CTA, Belize should
participate in one or two highly targeted

trade

fairs - perhaps the VJorld Travel Market in London
(December), the ITS in Berlin (March) or one or two
chapter fadrs in North America; .
(h)

Again with CTA ' s assistance, one or tv^o Public Relations firms, strategically positioned in the North
American marketplace, should be approached and asked
to submit proposals for representing

Belize in the

market place.
3.16

As will be noticed, a specific marketing and promotion plan
has not been recommended.

This would be inappropriate

given that it needs to be preceded by good, sound

homework.

The task is not a difficult one, but needs to be iterative.

/ 17

^

-

r/ -

The re.search and marketing officers iiood to bear in mind
the short term time horizons, act quickly and u.se cxi.s ting
mechanisms creatively to obtain and a.ssess information.
Rather costly mistakes can be made in attempting to enter
the marketplace to promote the product, cold.

I'ispccially

important ivill be the need to :
(i )

review the literature, especially the market intelligence and what the competition

(Hawaii, Me.xico)

is offering and at what price;
(ii)

determine via the tour operators what can be sold
and to whom at what price;

(iii)

determine, in conjunction with CTA

(of which

üelize

is a member) what should be done Iractically in the
marketplace;
(iv)

obtain competitive quotes from different suppliers
of promotional material, etc.;

(v)

develop and implement the short term marketing plan
based largely on (i) to (iv) and of course the
availability of funds through the EEC.

Training and Human Resource Development
3.17

Simultaneous with the commencement of the product development and marketing initiatives should commence a modest
(in the first instance) training programme.

The training

should be pursued at t > o levels - tourism organisational
v/
and management and skills training.

/ 18

-

3.18

13 -

The o r q n i s a t i o n a 1 and ma n ag e i e n t c J e m c n I s
n
,
;
pointed out earlier,

s l o i I cl, as w a s
i i

take place on an on-going basis. Tfie ,

skills training would need to be worked out in more precise
detail, based on an assessment of need and re.sources . HOWTever , the approach suggested should be? a s l o l lovvs :
. :.
(i)

' ' e statistical officer selected
]h

to' participate . n
i

the CTRC Statistical Workshop in Guadeloupe in

%

October should be attached for two (2) w e e k s at
CTRC to v^/ork under the guidance of the Statistical
Adviser.

(
S

This period of attachment should co-incide

with the processing and analysis at CTRC of the
Visitor Expenditure and Motivational Survey which is
to be conducted soon for Belize;
(ii)

The person selected as the marketing officer should
spend one week at CTA's headquarters in New York
learning about activities in the marketplace - this
should preferably take place at the time of a CTA
Chapter

(trade fair) activity so that a feel for

the interface with the travel trade is obtained.
Following this is a brief

(one week) attachment to

a well-operated tourism marketing operation in another
Caribbean country should be arranged - e.g. the
Bahamas' Ministry of Tourism or the Cayman Islands V
Department of Tourism.

There the opportunity should

be taken to see how market intelligence is obtained,
research analysed and sales programmes developed.
(iii)

The research and planning officer selected should be
attached to CTRC for about three weeks to become

.. -'

familiar with research and planning techniques and
also to develop a systematic working

relationship

with CTRC in terms of tourism development support
over the longer terms.

<\i

-

-19

-

Tlie above represents only the initial .steps v;hich need to
be taken.

The training at the organisational

(policy)

level will need to tae on-going, hence tlie need to appoint
an experienced tourism adviser from the start.

The

Belizean tourism director will o , course be understudying
í"
the tourism adviser as the proce.';s evolves.

Finally, even

before any of the above commences, the Government should
invite Mr. Kamonn Keane of the Pool of Marketing

Specialists

at CTRC to spend a day or two with senior policy makers in
the Government, the airlines and the private sector, focussing on key issues involved in marketing Belize's
3.19

In terms of the second

tourism.

(skills) level of training tlie fol-

lowing is recommended :
(i)

A Tourism Awareness Programme aimed at sensitizing
the people of Belize as to the economic

importance

of tourism and the vital role each one will be reguired to play as host to visitors.

This awareness

programme, which should be mounted witli the assistance
of CTRC, is crucial to the proce.ss of overcoming
negative attitudes towards tourism and for creating
an atmosphere conducive to visitors - word of mouth
remains the most effective form of advertising.
The awareness programme should include :
a consciousness raising Tourism Awareness week^
integrating radio and T.V. programmes, talk
shows, school competitions, diving/and

fishing

competitions for visitors and cultural e.xhibitions and fairs.
specific sessions for front line personnel in
tourism such as taxi drivers, customs and immigration officials, hotel front office personnel
/20

-

13

-

and so oh, targe I ted at a 11J lude;-;
:
(ii)

Short tc:rm training ior hotol and ro.stauraht workers
to take tile form of brief, specialized .semiliars on
conduct, dre.s.s, attitude and .service in general.

3.20

Once again it should be pointed out

that the iiiiplernen ta tion

of these recomhieridations do not in any way require signiificant budget outlays provided

he-i izo in willing

and obtain the assistance of the regional
tions - CTRC, CTA, the CÍÍA and so on..

%

to f.o.ek

tourisin organiza-

Finally, the

s

tourism

adviser shovild ihitiaté steps to ensure thaf the statistical
officer who would liave by then beei-i trained in executing
VEMS, uhdertakes these oh an ongoing basis to ensure that
visitors' views in respect of service and

the nation's

hosting of the vi.sitor in general^ arc being monitored

and

are being used in respect of determining where things are
going wrong and what additional training is required

as

time goes on.
Ihtersectoraii Linikages
3.21

The maximization of inteir-^sectoiral linkages

(primarily With

agriculture - so as to increase tourism's net contribution
to the balahce-of-payments

- arid handicraft development)' is

a longer term activity and should properly be placed v;itihiri
'

the; context of the longer term ojDerátiñg framework.

Hov>-

"

ever, planning approácíies to these issues should be comiiiehced
even in the immediate

term and become part of the stratégy

for this period.
3.22

The research arid statistical officers in tourisin should
begin liciisirig with

the agricultural production

stati.stíciáns

and the hotel arid restaurant operators, in the private séctor

,
,

-

?/\

-

and agree on a methodology ior oblaining d.iln on agricultural produce used in food preparation.

A coinprehonsivo

data base should be put together, having regard to any
imported inputs used.

This databa.-K.^ could form the ba.'»Í5

for future policy initiatives.

Kith respect to handicraft,

the findings of the initial CTRC mission under the EEC
r^egional Handicraft Developemnt I'roject which, among other
things, recommended

that Belize could develop into a signi-

ficant regional exporter

{to replace Taiv.'an and Hong Kong

in say, the Bahamas) should be carefully reviewed.

Belize

has been grouped with Jamaica and the n.ihamas for Phase IT
of that project as well as tlie packaging/pricing

and marketing

of craft and should demonstrate much more enthusiasm in the
project than previously obtained.

A strong unit, such a s
.

the Office of Economic Development should be tlie liaison
unit for CTRC in respect of that project.
3.23

The actions recommended form the basis of the short term
strategy which the Government should consider

implementing.

Each set of activities depend to a large e.xtent on prior
action - they are in a sense segueiitial activities and can
be implemented without great cost and within a realistic
time frame.

'
1
'1.1,

; Tóuri.qm Five Year Operntiinq Frdriiework
The five year opernLing framewotrk presented here is
intended

to provide some general guidelines in respect

of h v / the Government should approach
odevelopment over the medium

to long

touri-sm sectoral

term.

A muclj more

detailed plan would require subs l.antially . more in-depth
work over a longer period of time since land-use and
zoning issues, infrastructure and superstructure development, manpower planning and other resource alJ.ocation
questions would need to be looked at and, carefully
tegrated.

in-

Lately, however, pa r ticuliir ly in the Caribbean,

there has been a shift away from tourism master

plans

(none of. which ever gets implemented) towards flexible,
indicative plans which more realistically address sectoral
development in tourism;
bias towards ACTION

There is also a (highly desirable)

in the proposals formulated here -

an element usually missing in master plans.
4.2

The operating framework recommended

for Belize is intended

to build upon initiatives which would have been undertaken
in the immediate

to short term.

It therefore assumes that

some level of training, market interface and product development would have taken place and that that ground

already

covered would serve, in part, as the foundation for the
sizeable task aliead.

Also, commencement of

implementation

of the overall,macro economic plan is assumed

- one direct

consequence of which is the way in v/hich factor

allocations

(especially capital and labour) would need to be viewed.
To attempt development of tourism outside of implementation
of the overall macro economic plan is to court a situation
of inconsistency among goals.

/23

A
'

-

4 3

23

Finally, in this respect, pursuinq the longer term plíin
is substantially more complex than short term strategy
implementation and recjuires greater inv':>lvo!!ien t by a
number of public sector agencies.

A public >--ctor co-

oriiinating committee which could servt.; as a "cleaning
liouse" for various proposals and tasks and Lhrough v/hich
effective coordination of those tasks can be effected,
should be established by the Government.
The

Framevoric

Task One:
4.4

Assessing the Tourism Capabilil:y

The first task to be performed involves an o)jjoct;ive
assessment of the tourism supply or l-.ourism capability.
This is a necessary precursor to determining the real as
well as the potential sus tainable demand for the Belize
tourism product over the longer term.

This assessment

will also assist in the minimization of risks associated
with tourism investment decision making.

Under normal

circumstances this would be a highly complex and time
consuming process.

However, the task has been to some

extent, simplified in Belize because experts have previously identified the greatest potential to lie in the
coastal ane marine areas, the forests and the Southern
mountains.

With these as the target areas, the process -

though hampered by the lack of data at this point in
time - could continue as sc;t out below.
4.5

The following logic steps are recommended to enable
completion of task one :

/24

-

(i)

-

the tourism unit, or departinen I .should Jio.l.ioW-throiigh
.
quickly on the a.ssessment ol the procUict v.'hich v;ill
be presented by Steingenbercfei." Con.sulLing.
assessment suggests

That:

tliat . . c c i i ic c.'it.-iloging of.
"p:

• tourism assets particularly in tho Southern mountains and the w i 1 d 1 j f e a r o a s b o unci o r l a I on.
.
; : :

T11 i s

Vv/riter sugge.sts aggrc;.ssive iiiovoment on tlio coa.stal
and marine tourism area.s, even whi le t!ie asse.ssmcjri L
of the othei- type of touri.sm offer i.s btiing undertaken;
(ii)

the tourism unit should on the has i s of the fissess.
ment of the separate componeht.'S of the product,
produce information on
present levels of utilization of each component
(e.g. how many people use each beach or other
tourism

amenity)

visitors views on tíie attributes and draw. backs of prefsent utilization;
what specific improvements are desirable;
.what increases in utilization

(i.e. how many

more people can Use each ariienj. ty) can be
accommodated given present capacities;
what overall increases
;

amenities)

can be accommodated given exi.sting ihfrastrue ture

iii )

(in total

. •
,

th(2 tOuri.sm unit should prepare a profile for each
tourism region

(the préstínt Belize districts, might

be "regions") which would detail the inform¿Htion
above arid where necessary

additional details such

as accommodation, transport to/from/v/ithin,..ser^

.

vices available such as banking , telephone, telx;x.¡ í
climatic conditions including rainfall and

. ,

temperature; fishing seavsohs and so on.
Each
regional profile should be brief but highly factUal.

<
i
i

It should be no1:ecl thai: .in the oxocvition u . tiie-sc logic
J"
stcpi; soino tiotionr. .iboiit actual

level:;; oT tourj.sts

whicli can be served . j ti..yl:ac tor i I y at varyincj level." of
-a
.
infrastructural

and superstructura! development will be

obtained.
Ta.sk Two:
-1.6

Assc-s-iing Demand

Aii.sessincj the demand for the proclucl: comjjonont.';. ;;h<iuld
be the ensuing

tank.

The touri.-;wn unit or department

•5 1 o u 1 d , w i t h t h e a s . i s t a n c e o l m a r k a t i 1 c c x p e i Is. u n d <• r •}
s
: 1 j
•
take a detailed a.'i:.sea;imont of tlio

trcnq th.s a . i v.'eakne.s;;;e;
ic

of each tourism capacity profile obtained in t . - k one.
a'.
Tiie following step.s are r c i i i i i ' < d :
eoriiii!
(i)

An a.s.scssment: of market in {•ornial.ion already exi.sting for the l:ype of toiiii.sm product which
can be formulated in Belize;

(ii)

Identification of a reputable market re.search
entity or mechanism which can provide, market
intelligence in re.'3pect of the general
tourism product

Belize

(some indic;ation as to how this

sliould be approached ha.s already been preiiented
in the short-term
(iii)

strategy);

Segmentation of themarket-'j which are the best
"targets of opportunity" for the national product

(a footnote concerning

this comes at the

end of this paragraph);
(iv)

Quantification and qualification of the target
market, an assessment of current and omerging
trends therein against the background of the
existing iielize product;

(v)

Determination of the size

of market share which

will be pursued v/ithin specific time horizons;
.

.

-

(vi)

.C ^

Discussion and cros.s c;hc>ck of rindirig.s and tiictical
approaches with key stipp 1 i ors j i t;hc induslry .
t
this would involve sel.cei: tour oj:>er

prs ( p.71 r t ly

identified in earlier a c t i v i t j 0 s ) w ¡ 101 e ; a I e r s ,
;
.
5
travel agents, and market analysts siicii . i at
-s
CTA New York;
(vii)

.

Discussion of findings and strategic approaches
with local private sector j nvol ve,d, in tourism.
.

Even at this early stage, this writer w<5uld like to
suggest Belize's initial Ueriiaiid í¡ctivity sliouid i'octis oi>
spiicial interest markets (diving, deep sea fishing, hiking
canoeing and horseback riding) stratified from the ihiddle
to upper income levels.

The mass market (beach and social

pollution types) \>?hich is essentially lov; budgo^t should
be avoided particularly because of lov; revenue; per head.
Recent market , research shows tliab the 13 Western States
of the Uh i (:ed States referred to earlier have populations
which are high income, highly mobile and most adventurous
i.e. a sound market in which to launch an assault.

Second

and third stage demand activity might focus on other
special interest groups such a s scienti.^ts, historians^
.
audubon societies and so on, as v/ell as the cruise ship
m a r ) e t.
c
(
9
Task Three
4.7

:

Having assessed

(A) Formulating the Product
capacity and demand, the Government would

in fact have preliminarily identified gaps in the tourism
product.

This phase of the tourism development programme

will enable the country to concentrate on formulating the
product including attending to the capability gaps.
quantifying demand, the Government would then be in a

.AV

By

'-í
I
•'1'

position t o decide, J.or cxoiople, the extonl. to which
;
ethnic cultural presentation .should form pnr t of the
product.
(i)

The touri.sm authority .siiould then ;

determine the increnu.'n tal en toi; l .linrnen t activity
and accommodation requiromcnt.s ;

(ii)

determine the i nc i omen t a 1 in t r a * t rue tural require:
.
.;
ments e.g. can the <i i s tinq water, ¡.>owt.r, ;;ev/oraqe
.x .
and communication facilitie.s acci-pt ndd i t iona I
.
load or ir, additional. |> ,in:/cariaci ty ne-eded;
:J

(iii)

addre.ss the issue of iden! i Cica t i<ni C V 1 inancial
'
re.source.s for i n C r as t rue tu re ;
:

(iv)

determine and introduce the type.s of incentives
which are neces.T.ary to .stimulate Belizean private
.sector participation in clo.sing the touri-sm
capacity gap (e.g. tax incentives, long-tertn
leases);

(v)

design and implement a training and human resource
development programme for people who can be
absorbed in the touri.sm industry

{this will require

very careful thought so as not to interfere with
the agricultural sector plan by drawing away
employees from that sector);
(vi)

commence the process of .specifying or encouraging
the specification of various- "package.s" - components
of the Belize vacation whici) will be marketed in
the target markets.

4.G

No mention is made here of two additional

inlrastructural

requirements which wiJ.l need to be addres.'.;ed - the airport
and cruiseship facilities.

The airport is being addressed

separately at the time of writing and (nay well be completed
in advance of the tourism sectoral activity one to t ^ o
v/
years hence.

Incentives in tlie cruiseship artja such as

rehabilitation of the cruiseship f acili ties sliould be

;

undertaken only if specific interests of cruise operators

^

can be determined and quantified.
,

4.9

I

Peripheral aspects of thoi tourism product frormulation
process such as handicraft doivc I opmen t and m.irketing, are
expected to be sufficiently advanced - i r : m v.'ithin the
;i)
short-term programme - as to warrant integration into the
overall product offer.

.4,10

Finally, on product formulation, it is fe.lt that development and presentation of one or two Mayan sites is so
specialized that it should be dealt with solely within
the Department of Archaeology. In fact, that department
is currently preparing for the Government, a priority
list of sites which should be consolidated, with costs.
Consideration of economic merits of suclt effort.s should,
liowever, bear in rnirid tlie assessment of tourism demand

»

which would have emerged in Task Two along with the resulting revenues

(for visitation to the .sites, transportation

thereto and so on).
Task Three
4.11

: (B)

Marketing the Product

To cut down what is already turning out to bo a paper
lengthier than was planned and requested, only a brief
insight will be presented into the marketing of the product particularly since this has been dealt with substantially
along the way and will also depend in large measure on

J

^

29

-

resources available and conditions prevailing at the time.
The key challenge will remain creating the special and
unique image of the Belize tourism experience alluded to
in the short term strategy.

The market segment ¿ t i on
i

which results from the on-going research carried out by
the tourism administration, and in particular its assessment of demand, will be key determinants of the highly
targetted markets suggested.

Finally, this'wiiter would

delay promotional activities in Europe unless substantially
changed circumstances to the present emerge.
Concluding Remarks
4.12

What has been presented is an operating framework with
sequencing->of activities intended to guide the Government's
lead role in the developing of tourism over the next few
years.

The process will be a long and complex one re-

quiring action and commitment on several fronts.

Confidence

and invlovement on the part of the private sector is a
sine qua non for success as is the need fori the Government
to put the tourism administration recommended in placeand initiate a programme of on-going research at the very
earliest opportunity.

Further and more specific

activities

can then be detailed as various aspects become more crystallised

i i

/30

675 •

5

Evaluation of Costs and Duration of" Ai. t.crna Live Tourism
Development over the Poriod I'JOi) - 19R9

5.1

This section of the paper has boon prepared
) of

in

fulfiJment

(n) .in the T.O.R. • For reason.s. a 1 ready embellished i n

the preceding sections of the paper it was not considered
appropriate

to prepare specific alt:ernative development

programmes for Belize at this time.

Instead, striiteqic

approaches as well as an overall framework
critical paths to possible

tourism

delinating

(sectoral ) lievelopmen t .

Movement along those paths will in turn generate ensuing
alternatives which in turn will make costing
allow benefit cost analysis to be
5;2

The basic thrust

feasible and

undertaken.

throughout, however, is for small in-

itiatives to be pursued

in r.m.il 1 portions,

taking' full

account of resource avaiJ ibx'iity and" the country's,
absorbtive capacity.

ihxs

in a .sense narrows the .ranoc

of alternatives and enables i^^inc ielT for costs and
duration to be developed-,' dii^ c<ainpM, mai.s market
requiring substantial airporL

fac i 1 i t e ' ; for jumbo jet-".,
i.;

.significant beach front development
possible destruction and social
non-option.

(;i)-.

„

(large hotelsl'-and

pollution i.s cLeairly a

Accordingly, a few general examplcs-'i'n thj s

regard are presented
5.3 ,

tourism

below.

Alternatives in the'sbprt Term
Objectives : ; To increase occupancy levels in the',,,
marine resource areas and to increase
per visitor at the least possible cost
to accommodation

L

Action required:

expenditure;;
(no addition

plant);
Suitable packaging and méirketing

of short-stay marine/water-based

touri.ym packaged

in respect of the Cayes and Placentia.

Discussions

with tour operators and segmentation of market.
./3i;.r.

•a •
•.

31

-

Preparation of marketing

Lools o.g. good color

brochure and expo-surc thi.ough industry
Also high profile focal ncLivities

publications

(e.g. sailing

week) for impact in the market segment.
Duration:
Cos t:

6 months - ] year
.

Approximately
familiarization

trip for tour operators

advertising costs (brocluire:; etc.)
promotional activities e.g. sailing week
5.4

(i i )

Alternative over the longer term
Objectives:

To double number of arrivals and ex-

penditure levels in the special interest markets
(e.g. scuba diving combined with hiking and inland
expeditions - 7 day stay).
Action required:
Expand existing capacity in accommodation
Increase infrastructural capacity in various
locations
Provide additional amenities (e.g. boats,
instructors, safety manuals, canoes, hiking
trails and guides
Package and cost components fo the vacation
Develop a markeling tool for the vacation
with a tour operator, airline or so
Promote the new product in viable market
segment
Duration:

1 - 2

years
/32

-

•

Cost:

32

Substantial bvit depeMidenl:. on
tour operators cho.sen
level of i n F R a S I:riiC t LIrG xmpr O V E M E n t /
:
:
expansion needed
cost of incremental .unen i Lies

-

cost of iiiarketinq modiuin
etc. etc.

5.5

The whole idea is that under

the present

costing the alternatives should await

the completion of

prior action such as the determination of
which are feasible, given
and global resources.

those

the initial market

alternatives

intelligence

Within that, the approach will still

have to be that of matching alternatives
to resources available.

circumstanees

(based on demand)

These ideas can be discus.sed in

greater detail as the Government deems

necessary.

6
)
<
0

/33

31 -

6

Forsocab.lc Impacl of Touri.sl ic Dt)vo 1 opmen I D u r ^ q
.
Period

6.1

Uie

1905 - 198S)

Background

- This section of I ho l-.orm;; of i:<- f c i one o roquirfi;
.
'-:

that the foreseable impact of touristic dovcl opinen t dvirinq
the plan period be determined.

The present

circumstanees

as has been pointed out before, ; i o not conrluc i ve to a
i:
five year tovirism plan as such - there are still
gaps in data and other vital i nf orain tion,
operating framework

too many

The five year

instead allows for a logical scHiuencirig

of planning and implementing

activities.

On i his ba.sis,

tlie necessary benefit/cost analysis can be conductcci in
manageable modules and progress can be measurable cumulatively as against the quantifiable
6.2

The planning/operating

objectives.

framework however does n () t alio v
.
:

specific forecasts to be made in respect of

(econoinic)

impacts, particularly when, as i'^ the case in Belize,
.^.
i n i t j a 1 economic impact data i . sc r c e - n c i t h e r e s t i m a t c •
.
.
. s
:
;
'
of tourism expenditure nor direct tourism employment
available.

are

Nevertheless, for purposes of this e;;orcise.

guarded but reasonable forecasts of potential impact are
presented.
6.3

Impacts - The most important economic effects in tourism
arise from the expenditure of tourists.

This expenditure:

(i)

provides income for direct recipient.';

(ii)

provides employment

(iii)

contributes

to foreign exchange

(iv)

contributes

to Government

(direct and

indirect)
earnings

revenue
/34

31
^

These impacts are diJ:fused

throughout the economy when

maximum encouragemén t is received and the Touri.sin Tree
at Appendix 2 gives an indication of liow
place.

can take

Each of these main impact areas is dealt: with in

turn below.

The comments bear in mind

the Government ' s

commitment to resolving the fiscal crisis, avciiding a
balance of payments crisis and raising

l:he standard of

living of all Belizeans as expressed in the draft m a o o
economic plan.
6.'1

To .'.¡implify matters, a hypothetical scenario iTiori(;s consideration, a scenario which tlie Government can influence
as the process evolves.

That is the "hub and spoke"

scenario, where certain siles arcí designated as the "hub"
of tourism activity from which lourism j.s dispersed
environs or "spokes".

to the

Examples of this would be Ambergri.r.

Caye serving as a hub for water and beach activities v/hich
then take place all along

t:he barrier reef as well as

night-time activity entertainment: in Belize City or alternative San Ignacio as a hub with hinterland

tourism

activity stretching to Benque Viejo and even San Antonio.
First and second round economic imp¿icts will occur as more
Belizeans are encouraged

to participate in the product

offer along the spokes.
6.5

Although the actual formulation of the product must: await
the completion of the task.s in the operating

framework,

consideration of some likely tourism packages will help
clarify likely impacts ;
(i)

In the Immediate to Short Term
(a)

4 day/3 night package ex Los Angeles
activity: exclusively scuba diving
beneficiary: Government

(tax) hotelier,

dive operator
/35

(b)

3 nights/'I days ox l,. Anqol(?s
.os
activity: diving, f.i.sliing, .sailing
beiieficiary:

Government

(tax); dive

opera toi"; ho te i ; (- ; fi.shing Ijoat operator,
i .r
boat cliarter operator, hotelier
(c)

7 nights/f> days ox L o v Anqi'lo:."
..;
activity:

div i nq , wa ter s|'jor ts , in 1 í; d
i•

expedition

(c n o e i n g , h i k i ng )
.

beneí:iciariei.í : dive operator.'.;, water .spo.rt.s
operators

(.skiing, wind.'Ui.'-fi/ig ) , exp'.:-di t ion

o pe r a t o r .
s
(ii)

n d t CJ i r qui d e . , h o t e 1 i e r .
i
s
.
3

In the Medium-Longer Term
(a)

9-12 days (average U.S. vi.sitor.s length
of . tay )
s
activities: diving, water «ports, inland
expedition

(canoeing, hiking) ruins,

historical sites, cultural

presentation,

ethnic village life participation etc.
beneficiaries: as above plus local cultural
activitists
(b)

cruiseship arrivals
activities: sliopping. day tour to certain
h i n t e r1 and s i t e s
beneficiaries:

craft people, local

transport operators/tour guides. Government ( taxes )
(c)

Casinos
beneficiaries: Government, employees
/36

36

6.6

The above is purely an indicative illustration of first
round beneficiaries and as.sunies Lhe obviou.s with respect .
to airlines, ground/inland

transportation operators and

so on, benefitting in the very first round.
analysis, the actual projection of

In the final

(economic) impacts of

tourism depends on the aforementioned

visitor

expenditure

survey as well as tlie information which flows from a
thorough knowledge of markets and determinants of demand
(the tasks adumbrated

in the frameworks are intended

yield this for Belize).
turn,

From tlu;se ultimately flov/, in

the projections or forecasts of investment in hotels,

guest houses and tourist
6.7

to

facilities.

The forseeable impacts for Belize then are likely to be
ais follows
(i )

(examples):

Income for Direct Recipients

;. : '
, .

(a)

hoteliers, guest houses

(b)

restaurant and entertainment operators

(c)

water sports operators,
operators

.

;

(d)
(e)

(ii)

t"-

expedition/tour

^ ^ v, , ^ .

taxi drivers, ground transport operators
craft shop operators

Employment - Direct and Indirect

(GDP contribution)

(a)

hotel workers; cooks, restaurant

workers

(b)

dive instructors, charter crew members,
tour guides

(c)

bus and van drivers, airline personnel

(d)

craft people, jewelers

-: (e)

'

farmers, food and beverage workers, distributors^

(f)

promotion and adverti-sing

personnel

(g)

construction and maintenance v/orkers; garage
service people

; ; •

(h)

investment, banking

personnel

(i)

laundry personnel; doctors, vehicles and so ,on
./37

39-

(iii)

Foreign Exchange Earnings
(a)

()%xport Tourism)

prepaid expenses remitted by foreign tour
operators;

(b)
(iv)

in-country expenditure by visitors

Government Revenue
(a)

port departure taxes

(b)

occupancy

(c)

food, beverage

(d)

establishment

(e)

import duties from tourism-induced

(f)

landing, berthing taxes

taxes
taxes
taxes
imports

As the base i.e. the contribution presently made by tourism
becomes available through the visitor spending and the establishments surveys, the projections on impacts can then be
undertaken.
6.8

A hypothetical situation for 1985 - 1989 would be:
SHORT TERM
An increase in stay over visitors 1,000 per annum to 5,000
by 1989 then this could result in
(i)

1985-1987
(a)

Government revenue

(per annum)

departure taxes = $10.00 x 1,000 = $10,000
occupancy taxes = $ 5.00 per b/n

x 7,000*
= $35,000

* average length of stay 7 nights
.

/3 8

38

food and be ve rage t axes •
:
•
=
import duties
employmenL t i x .
r.es
(b)

Employment
increase in airport .staff, hotel and
restaurant workers
increase in rjround opbra tor .;
•
;

(c)

Income
income for hotel, restaurant and transport
workers
dive/marino/beach
Government

(d)

operators

(indirect)

Foreign Exchange
cruiseship visitors at $20 per visitor
banks - Central Bank

(ii }

-

1987-1989
All of the above plus construction workers, lending
institutions, developers e.g. craft market, dockside

•

dining .and recreational facilities, local canoe .
builders, blacksmiths/ ranchers and so on.

6.9

The following points merit bearing in mind as efforts to
measure the economic impact of tourism through the plan
period :
(i)

Base data from the initial visitor expenditure
survey are key to measurement of impact;
,

......./ 39

r?P

39

(ii)

-

This base data will need cüreful orgnnixation
categorization

along spocitic

and

lines such as :

expenditure categories e.g. accoivimodation,
meals, gratuities,

local

transportation

stopover visitor eA|)enditure per

visit;

cruiseship visitor expenditure per
-

household

etc.;

visit;

incomes, cu.stofns ¿"evenue,

imports

associated w j t l v i . . L t ;
. i
T
(iii).

Government revenue data should be collected
analyzed by detailed

(iv)

Establishment
collected

and

disaggregation;

data on actual employment should

bo

(a recent employment survey does not

offer a sectoral employment situation

report

for

tourism)
(v)

Established

tourism multipliers including

standard Keynesian multiplier k-1
mps+mpm
applied

to the base data to measure

effects on the economy
measuring

the
should be

feed-through

(several methods exist

the. amount of income which

for

is generated

by a dollar of tourism expenditure and more

speci-

fically the amount of income which would be generated
by an additional dollar of tourism expenditure these are however largely functional only
good data
(vi)

exists);

The information will have to be collected
cally in order

systemati-

to allow a data series to be put

together and thus for forecasting
be carried

when

and monitoring

out;
/4 0

to

/lo

(vii)

To assist in channelling maximal economic impact
within the Belize economy, ownership should be
Delizean - suqrjesting smal I-medium size

accommoda-

tion establishments and outdoor amenities.
however

These

(smaller accommodation I limit employment

impact, particularly if they are owner-operated;
but this may be compensated for by higher domestic
savings;
(viii)

The net export or balance-of-payments

contribution

of tourism will be greater if the secondary sectors
like agriculture and handicraft

(inclUdi.Hg raw

materials, straw and wooden furniture, books etc..)
are directly linked than if they are not.

Thi-s '

must be borne in mind Vv^hen applications for e.xpatriate concessions are being considered, v;hen
import policies are being decided and when infrastructure for the movement of produce is being
designed.
6.10

Finally a word on economic impact in a scenario involving;
casinos.

It is true that casinos breed other ills -

prostitution and drugs among the most notevvor thy, although
there is yet to be specific evidence of the latter.

It is

also triie that casinos are hard to "control" in the sense
of the Government being able to exercise what takes place
within casinos.
(i j

Yet¡ to the extent that casinos

can be isolated from the local populace i.e. placed
in remote enclave areas away from cities and towns
iout withih easy access of cruiseship visitors and
visitors arriving by air
/ 41

THr. FIVE YEAR OPKRATING PRAMI-:WORK pcesont:;;:

(i)

A Basic [-'ramework Witliln Which the Government
Could foster tiie ücveiopment oí .TourÍ£-.m;

(ii)

A Sequence of Ac tivi te'; (Task.-:;) Intondod to
i.:;
Assist In the Determination o ( the Type of
f
Tourism Appropriate l ' r I'eli/.e;
-o

(iii)

A Means of Operating With Limited

Expertise

and Resources And With Minimum Risk To Public
Sector Finances

THE SHORT TERM STRATEGY deals with :

(i)

Insti^:ution^^.l A trranqcmen

: ¿ new
1

lourisra

authority
(ii)

Formulation/Development

of the iiourism

product
(iii)

Mcirketing and Promotion o f

(iv)

Attending

the product

to training and other manpower

needs

Key:

Budgetary and other resource constraints yet
rapid action to increase, earnings

t

Pro.ject/Studies
T2. Assessment of existing
infrastructural cajpacity (water
sewerage, electricity
corr>nuni cat ions) at the Caves
Belize City, Eelmopaji, San Ignacio , Dangriga, Placentia

GECTQSAL DSVKLCFMENT FiUISU'OPK
l E I f : - LCHGin TilRK APPiiOAQK
íDÜS-oecific Cb.iectives

J

f: Zt

i-'ossioi.e uor.oi

5up:~e5ted fete

To ascertain precise paranieters
3.D.D.
of existing infrastructure and
or
to determine requirements in
G«X • D • ^ •
'
v
respect of additional
accomodation and tourism amenities
prior to. further initiatives icv;
.tourism planning

13. Identification of specific
resources in the raacroeconomic
framework available for tourism
development over the period
I9S5-I939
- fiscal
- ra-o;r
inpve

To identify the financing gap
and resource shortfall; to allow
the Tourism Authority to design
a programme which fits its
resource flows and to firm up its
training programme

1 J . Selection and upgrading of one or
Í'two Mayar, sites for offer as a
toMrism attraction (excavation
consolidation and restoration)

To enhance the tc-orism product
(attractions offer) to the level
of other competing destinations

15- Development of hiking trails *
to cpecificd inla:id locations
including locating, cutting and
signposting as well as rest
facilities.

To diversify the tourism product
for strategic marketing
(nc^.sntaticn )

16. To survey and catalorrae the
i l ' r d tourism attractions;
ncj.
including caves, bridges, flora,
cazioeing and fishing
potential

.•3 a continuing process, the
-~
formulation cf n diversified
.
product and t : detorminution
!e
of a conservc-iicn programme in
this regard

Mid 1906

- iniii-:
ia'Cni
¡'exico - exr^ertiso

ir - f\' V ^ c o
'

e.g. the trail from Augustin in Cayo to the new Mayan cite at Caracol combined v;ith a return trip
canoeing dov/n river to the Falls at I i On, a visit to reai'by caves and a stay at
xo
BlancaJieaux Lodge night provide an interesting marketing opportunity.

47

Pro.ject/ Studies

•

1?. Design of a tourisn msrketins
and promotion prograr.nie

Specific Objectives
_ Marketing of Belize as a unique
tourisrr; experience in
appropriate narkets

•The follov.'ing points should be noted:
(1)

The Studies / Project at
- 1? will depend largely
•'on the outcone'of the market intelligence undertaken
in the short-term;;

(ii) The SEC has agreed under. L.:e III to fund restoration
c-;
of historic nonu-Tients, sites and so on.

Possible Donors
. E"¿C, CTA

Sug;;ested Sates
Lo.te 193?

46

í -V

yí

3SCT0RAL DEVr:LCF:^HT FiUKZWOHK
MEDIUM - LCNGSR T J í APPROACH
liM
Project/Studies
12. Assessment of existing
infrastruct^oral capacity ( / t i
vaesev/eragG, electricity
coririur¿catior;S / at the Gayes
Belize City, Belnopan., San Ignacio , üxngriga, Placentia
TJ. Identification of specific
resovu-ces in the macroecor.G"ic
framework a v a i l a b l e for tourism
develot:~ent over the period

19S5-I939
- fiscal
- manpov/er

Srjecific Obiectives

Possible

líonor

5.D.D.
To ascertain preciso para.T.eters
of existing infrastructure a i
rd
or
'• X •D• A i
to determine requirer.-ients in
respect of additional
accoTTiodation and tourism amenities
prior to.further initiatives icv
.tourism planning

Su3:i~e3ted Date
Early inBo

Mid 19S6

To identify the financing gap
and resource shortfall; to allow
the Touristn Authority to design
a programme v/hich fits its
resoijrce flov/s and to firm up its
training programms

14. Selection a : upgrading of one o:
:d
t . o Mayan sites for offer as a
v'
tourisn- attraction (excavation
consolidation and restoratiorj

To enhance the tovu'ism product
(attractions offer) to the level
of other competing destinations

EEC - financing
I'exico - expertise

Eiirly 193?

15. Development of hiking trails x
to specified inls-nd locations
including locating, cutting and
signposting as well as rest
facilities.

To diversify the tourism product
for strategic m-arketing
(segmentation)

U.3. Park Service
through U3AID

Early 193?

I0, To survey and catalogue the
inland tourisn attractions
including caves, bridges, flora.
ca:ioGÍng a i fishing
;d
Dotential

a continuing process, the
formulation of a diversified
product and th.e determination
of a conservation progrcjnme in
this regard

- US. AID

Hid - 1937

e.g. the trail from Aurustin in Cayo to the new !-b.yan site at Car-icol combined v/ith a r t . \ . trip
e-ucanoeing down river to the i'alls at i i On, a visit to ref^rby caves and a stay at the
\o
ulancanoaux Lodge night provide n n interesting m;arketin?- c ' o t . n ; tv.
.
p;r-:-

I

45
-

Project

Sbeciflc Objectives

9. • Skills'.training in techniques'
and export .marketing of
handicraft
appointment of
qualified coordinator to
liaise with regional, pío ject.

To promote handicraft-development CTSC Kegional.
as an integral part of the touris:.- handicraft projeci
product
. '

lO- To assist in meeting- local
costs for participation- in
re.gional handicraft project •
•
at 9. above
10. Assessment and\ quanti.fi.cation
of agricultural products used,
in tourisra, industry (ho-cels )
Exa.Tiinati.on o f potential for-,
:
greater use of local,
agricultural inputs

- as above -

Possible Donors

SurptC'sted T ; ; n r
irip
Immediate 1985

TTT.-r'

Immediate (I9S5)

To maximize intersectoral
lirxks between tourism and
and agriculture

UoAID

Mid 1906

Establishment of a systematic
approach for monitcring
agricultural tourism linlcages

T T'' • T r\ /'• :
.^
,•'

^••^Jt a
;

0 i

-

44

sx

-

STRATEGY IM?LE^S¡•;TATION
IÍ-C-EDIATE - SHORT-TERM
Proiect

Specific Objectives

Possible Donors

Suggested Timing

(e) Tourism Awareness Programm.e
for Belize

Sensitizing the population about
the importance of tourism and thei:
role in its development

CIDA/CTHC

i^ly 1986

(f) Attitudal training for
front line personnel in
hotels, taxi, drivers,
customs and imigration

To develop the service end of the
tourism product and commence
creation of special image

CTEC, CHA
Barbados Govt.
USA ID

Mid - 1936

3.Preparation and Publication
of a scuba diving standards
manual

To use as a selling tool for
potential divers to Belize

CTA/CTHC

Early (I986)

i . Programme of on-lending
f
including incentives for
upgrading of accomodation
facilities in the Cayes

To assist in formulation and
marketing of the products by
tour ooerators

5. Signposting of the Mayan
sites at Altun Ha and
Xunantunich

- as aoove -

DFC/Tourism
Investment Unit
coordinated through
Office of Economic
Development

;oon as possible ('i9£5)

Belize

6. Familiarization trips fo:
tour operators to Belize

i ' a k t intelligence with respect
-ire
to formulation of the product and
to push e - p r d d occupancy levels
::a:e
at the C:,yes

A i r 1 i n e s c p e a t i:
in Belize ; Govt,
meet on-rround c

7 . Establishment of promotional
library, including brochures
film on Belize by
photojournalist

To use in the promotion and
marketing of as a special interest
destination with emphasis on the
marine activities (the Cayes)

^.C .-.urope;

8.- Pai'ticipation in Tourism
Trade Fairs

To create an av-areness of the
Belize product in select
markets

EEC; CTA

^ i. . 1 r > r.
,

43

GT?. AT23 Y I ¡-ÍPLErSNT AT ION
IKMSDIATE

- SHOI^T TERM

Proiect

Specific Objectives

1. Technical Assistance in
the reorganisation of the
Belize Tourism Authority

Strengthening of the
Government's tourism function
to facilitate the implenientation of tourisn development
plans

Possible Donor

LT>niediate

- do -

b. Appointment of a
Tourism Advisor

Sugí^esteá Timing:

Lrimediate

2. Training
(a) Short term attachment Training and development
of Statistical Officer in key tourism statistical
functions
to CTRC
(b) Short term attachment
of marketing officer
to CTA •

I'arket-oiace interface and
-milxcirization v - r travel
.in
traae

(c) Short term attachment
of research officer
to CTSC

Sources and r.ethods of up tc
date research

(d) Mr. E., Keane ?MS to
hold high level
tourism assessment
and marketing seminar
for Belize
administration

To infer- about alternativo
strategies in marketing for
the im::ie.:iate tc chort-term

i
t

CIC
Ti

•'ovember-December 1925

tf

.

^ ^

\

urcsramme)
Fobruai-v 1vS6

APPENDIX I

BELIZE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT
TERMS OF REFERENCE:

A)

P. ALEXANDER

PREPARATION OF A 5 YEAR PLAN FRAMEWORK FOR TOURISM SECTOR

f'

TO INCLUDE A 1-2 YR STRATEGY - ACTION PLAN

^

B)

ESTIMATE OF COSTS AND DURATION OF ALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT

OF TOURISM FOR 1985-89.
C)

DETERMINE FORSEEABLE IMPACT OF TOURISTIC DEVELOPMENT OF

BELIZE ECONOMY DURING PLAN PERIOD.
D)

PREPARE LISTING OF STUDIES OF PREINVESTMENT AND PROJECTS

OF TOURISTIC DEVELOPMENT IN LINE WITH GLOBAL PLAN OF DEVELOPMENT
OBJECTIVES.

'
i

IWVESTMENr

Iw Toutitm T » r K u - t t « l l o l g f r h o l y
t»
r « «)la h o l w n o a l h
^(OwlK: t « moximum I p t f o t b a o I k I f o t n
h
n u >ill f ( o o d o i u » d I K l m t r a i and l b u l r t a c n l u t o
in«. co o « l I
a o r o h oircln
k d t r , IMOI monpowar al al Uval* o omplcymanl IHUMAN
tuly
l
f
n
l u l m o > l u l m r l t i t c o » » » mínimum
o i t id o r t s o M o l r . h
RSU\t
lO<CS
OtvtlO»• « o t o p o t ot r l n i n ovanaai o t u i m
p r f r n i rd a a l o
f ors
• j p n d l r , t a poi<ln o l t l c l u o f r i l « M Í M t
i a i i u p h r{>to f o o u t r ! o m , h
m n t r n b oovernmant o n g t v • c u I p c é
oioio y
l e a i e olí m o t
«nd tt p o r a u 9 o t « pi'lo «nvlronmanl I ti
fa l n i d i f h f^icl
n la
rOURIST
O»n«(ol I l r i e t a community a l r a
nval f K
t op.
EXPENDÍ.
Tunt...

8

róv^

k
tOlns

I

•' I
I

-V i
^