Diaspora Meetings to Help Build Belize

Anthony Mahler

What about the recent meeting with Belizeans living in the diaspora? Minister Mahler says that the meetings in New York and Washington D.C., for which Prime Minister John Briceño was present, explores the opportunities available from Belizeans living in the diaspora for the socio-economic development of the country.

Anthony Mahler, Minister of Tourism & Diaspora Relations

“We had somewhere between three hundred and fifty thousand and some people say even up to seven hundred thousand Belizeans living all across the world, primarily in the United States. The remittances, especially during COVID, have gone up significantly and so we are now reaching close to three hundred million dollars a year in terms of remittances. Looked around again, and all across the country, and a lot of second homes, a lot of airbnbs, a lot of small resorts, restaurants are being opened by people who are returning home. And then we started the tours and a more and more people said that they’ve been in the United States for X amount of years, they are ready to come home to the warm weather, they’ve built their second homes. Those people are doctors, engineers, labourers and teachers, nurses, you name it and we believe strongly that people in the diaspora can help with the socio-economic development of Belize.”