Going Places with the BTB

Belize was represented in Curacao  from June 13th – June 16th, at the Platinum Associate Membership Advisory Council Conference 2010 of the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA).  The Conference is a great opportunity for many cruise executives of Florida, the Caribbean and Latin America, to get together, analyze trends and discuss current issues.  This event gives its partner destinations the opportunity to consolidate relationships and to develop successful bilateral partnerships with every sector.

The Belize Team  in Curacao was delighted to use this opportunity to announce that Belize would be hosting Platinum 2011! The Belize delegation included the Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation & Culture, Hon. Manuel Heredia Jr., Stanley Longsworth Jr., Lloyd Enriquez, Michelle Bowers, James Nisbet, Alan Deeks and Emil Novelo.  Planning and preparation for 2011 is already underway with the FCCA Executive team.

FCCA is a trade association composed of 15 Member Lines: AIDA Cruises, Azamara Club Cruises, Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruise Lines, Cunard Line, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America Line, MSC Cruises (USA) Inc., Norwegian Cruise Line, Ocean Village, P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises, and Royal Caribbean International. It was created in 1972 by the Member Lines operating more than 100 vessels in Florida, Caribbean and Latin American waters, in order to discuss and exchange views on issues relating to: legislation, tourism development, ports, safety, security and other cruise industry issues.

The Belize Tourism Board attended its 1st Caribbean Bridal Expo & Marketplace in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Saturday, March 27th and Sunday, March 28th at the Puerto Rico Convention Center. Hundreds of brides and grooms-to-be visited the Belize booth seeking information on the destination and honeymoon locales. In addition, we had the opportunity to meet with a few wedding planners who specialize in destination weddings and sought Belize as a possible option.

Caribbean Bridal Expo and Marketplace connects an audience of serious buyers and sellers of wedding planning and services. Thousands of wed couples and hundreds of wedding planners came to the Event to access more than 450 exhibitors showcasing over 1,000 wedding services and destination. It is one of the largest bridal event in the Caribbean Wedding Industry.

Representing the Belize Tourism Board were Marketing Officers Melecia Banks and Michelle Bowers.

Beginning at 8:OO a.m. on Saturday morning a steady stream of travel trade partners and consumers visited with the colorful Belize delegation at the  Los Angeles Times Adventure Travel Show at the Los Angeles Convention center.  Two full days saw hundreds of visitors stop to ask questions about Belize vacations and pick up the Belize Travel Guide, maps, brochures and special vacation packages.  On Sunday, at 12:30 there was  “standing room only” at the Be One with Belize – HD country presentation – at the Destination Theater -  the best attended for the show!

4 booths lined aisle 900 with delegates from the Belize Tourism Board – Michelle Bowers and Althea Sebastian; The  Belize Hotel Associations’ GMI – Nick Davies and Tanya Mcnab; the Belize Tourism Industry Association’s – Leisa Caceres and two private sector booths.   Beverley Daguise from Hidden Valley Inn represented the Belize Vacation partners including Sunbreeze Hotel and Suites and Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza.   Hugh Parkey’s Belize Adventures shared a booth with the Pelican Beach Resorts with Teresa Parkey and Therese Rath at the booth!.

Belize City, Monday, January 25th, 2010 –Belize was proudly represented at the Toronto Ultimate Travel Show on January 23rd and 24th, giving over 20,000 consumers the opportunity to take advantage of planning vacations earlier in the year. With the rhythms of Caribbean music in the air, it was easy for visitors to imagine they were at an exotic destination rather than downtown Toronto during the show days.

The two day show provided consumers with the ultimate travel experience through deals, savings, and onsite purchasing opportunities, as well as valuable research information. The show has long been known for its entertaining and informative presentation of premier travel destinations, providers, hotels and resorts, and retailers all under one roof. It is one of the most powerful and effective ways to reach qualified travel consumers in Toronto and from across Ontario.

This year, the event featured a scuba diving tank with live demos, entertainment from a Caribbean band, and exciting speakers including Canadian television host and journalist, Valerie Pringle, and WWE Champion and yoga guru, Trish Stratus who shared stories about traveling the globe in search of the most exotic locations and daring physical challenges from her new original series, Stratusphere on Travel + Escape.

“Attendance at Toronto’s Ultimate Travel Show is an exciting way for consumers in the Canadian market to ‘wet their appetite’ for Belize,” comments Acting Tourism Director, Shakira Tsai. “Canada is the fourth biggest market for Belize. The Belize Tourism Board, with the strong support of the private sector continues to build awareness of Belize with key tourism partners in Canada to grow the demand,” Tsai stated.

Last year, the Minister and the CEO of Tourism, along with members of the Belize Aviation Development Committee, met with representatives from west Jet Airlines in Calgary, Canada to discuss the merits of Belize as a destination for West Jet. The objective of the Aviation Committee is to build relationships with the international airlines to grow Belize’s airlift capacity and to attract greater business opportunities.

Belize representatives included Robin McCutheon of the Belize Hotel Association, Joanna Arellano of the Belize Tourism Industry Association and Melecia Banks and Pauline Buller of the Belize Tourism Board.

Belize maintained it’s presence at the Annual World Travel Mart in London from November 9th – 12th, with the BTB as well as private sector partners – Belize Hotel Association, Belize Luxury Collection, Belize Vacation Partners and Hugh Parkey’s Belize Dive Adventures.

Irma Matus (BTB-BHC), Nick Davies (BHA), Belize Vacation Partners, Teresa Parkey (HPBDC), Hon. Camilla Palma (Belize's High Commissioner in London); Sandra (BHA)

Valuable assistance was rendered by the British High Commission in London under the leadership of Belize High Commissioner, Camilla Palma and Irma Matus.

Also accompanying the Belize delegation was Anthony Hunt of the Airline committee who participated in meetings to facilitate the arrival of new airlines to Belize.

Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation and Culture met with official government representatives of Chetumal and Mexico City the week of Friday, November 6^th at the Focolare Restaurant in Mexico City.  The meeting also had the participation of well know Mexican Wholesalers Viajes Bojorquez and Viajes Liberacion as well as key tourism representatives such as the Presidents of the Hotel Association and Travel Agency in Mexico.

Minister Heredia with Mexican counterparts to foster tourism between Belize and Mexico

The objectives of the meetings were to advise the Mexican authorities  of our interest to work with them to develop viable tourism options for Mexicans and Belizeans as well as other tourists, traveling between both countries.  It also afforded Belize an opportunity to provide the greater travel agent community with Belize information and contacts.

Accompanying the Minister were BTB’s Director of Marketing, Shakira Tsai.

BTB at Belize Booth

Amy (BTB) in Taipei

Representatives from the BTB are at the Taipei International Travel Fair (October 30^th to 2^nd November) at the invitation of the CATO office and the Embassy of Belize in Taiwan, Belize.  Earlier this year a writer and photographer visited Belize and to compiled a Belize brochure for distribution at this event.  These efforts are in support of the international relations between Belize and Taiwan as well as grow more interest for travel to Belize.

BTB at the Belize booth in Taipei

BTB meeting at LibGo’s Travel office in New Jersey on Friday, October 9th. LIBGO is excited about growing the Belize account and has aggressive plans to move ahead in expanding Belize’s product offering to their clients.

John Beauvais (LIBGO VP Airline Relations), Tricia Vaspory (LIBGO Product Manager), Shakira Oxley Tsai (BTB), Luis Alpuche (Belize Country Manager American Airlines)

We spoke about marketing opportunities with them and American Airlines (American Airlines is their key airline partner).

Belize is the buzz word at CATM 2009 which officially started on Saturday, October 10th.  15 Belizean private sector representatives have been kept busy meeting with agents and wholesalers from Europe, Canada, Central America and the US.  Some private sector partners have even gotten the opportunity to sign contracts with various wholesalers, making it an extremely beneficial show.

Michelle Bowers (BTB) at CATM

Belize at CATM 2009

All Central American countries are represented at the show and a cultural presentation was held on Sunday night.

Central America Travel Market (CATM) it’s the most important event of the year for the promotion of tourism in Central America. This year, El Salvador will be hosting the sixth edition, which will be from October 9th to October 11th at the International Fairs and Convention Center in San Salvador.

The BTB is in New York this week meeting with the media to share the exciting possibilities Belize offers for inclusion in their  editorial and promotion calendars.  The meetings have been going very well with renewed interest for Belize.  Here’s who we’ve met so far:

Patty Tazalla (bvk), Vittorio Maestro (Editor in Chief), Adam Cohen (Advertising Manager), Charles Harris (President & CEO). Shakira Oxley Tsai - (BTB)

• Natural History is very interested in our plans for 2012 with the Maya exhibition that NICH will be taking on the road in the US and are interested in working with BTB in making the connections in the U.S.  to ensure maximum exposure with their readership who are a specialized group.

Shakira Oxley Tsai (BTB), Yanick Dalhouse (bvk), Amy Mehlbaum (Food Network)

Yanick Dalhouse (bvk), Shakira Oxley Tsai (BTB, Kristin Cohen (Saveur)