Anthony Mahler, “BIMFF is an Investment, not a Loss”

Late last month, thousands of Belizeans from across the country travelled to San Pedro to support the Belize International Music and Food Festival. 2024 marks three years since the event was established to boost tourism in the country, and while the turnout was the largest the festival has ever witnessed, it still struggles to turn over a profit. When we caught up with Minister of Tourism Anthony Mahler, he provided some insight on the successes and failures of one Belize’s biggest events of the year.

 

Anthony Mahler, Minister of Tourism

“I don’t think that the festival will ever break even. We didn’t look at it as that. I’ve said this from day one, and we don’t consider it as a loss. It’s a budget for it.  We consider it as an investment, but it’s getting bigger, and the spillover effect is happening in Caye Caulker as well. A lot of the rooms were booked in Caye Caulker. In fact, entrepreneurs started to offer shuttle services from Caye Caulker to San Pedro and back.  The restaurants in Caye Caulker were filled. The same thing in San Pedro. It was buzzing. And so we’re heading in the right direction in only three years. Now, we have to ask ourselves. When we came up there with the idea of the music festival is it was coming out of covid And on emancipation day where we wanted to celebrate being free  but the elements the weather Isn’t very cooperative. And so the last three years we’ve had major downpours and so maybe the only thing would change it is a time of year and maybe one of the drier months still in the going into a slower part of the season or where you have a little downturn, maybe in May.”

 

Reporter

“The leader of the opposition recently called to personally asking for an audit of the festival’s financials. Can I get your take on that?”

 

Anthony Mahler

“We’ve produced the report on our website and we’ll do so again. In fact, he called me to state that he wanted to join me out there and show a bipartisan approach. I waited for him. He never showed up. But he apologized because his party is in turmoil and I think that’s more pressing than him going to meet Vybes Kartel or being at the music festival.”