Belize’s Tourism Sector Expected to Generate 1.4 Billion Dollars in 2024  

According to Tourism Minister, Anthony Mahler, overnight tourism has been hitting record highs in the first two months of 2024. During his budget debate presentation, Minister Mahler said that with the increasing number of tourists visiting Belize, the industry is expected to generate one point four billion dollars in revenue for 2024. Mahler also explained that the absence of a berthing facility in the Belize district continues to be the greatest challenge faced by the country’s cruise tourism sector.

 

Anthony Mahler, Minister of Tourism

“We are projecting approximately eleven percent growth for Belize in 2024. Way beyond global growth, we have already recorded growth of over sixteen percent in overnight growth in two months this year. The month of January saw an impressive fifty-seven thousand tourist arrivals making it the highest January ever. This performance continued in February with an all-time high of fifty-nine thousand. We expect a ten percent increase in tourist arrivals in March, bringing it to over sixty thousand visitors for this month. Madam Speaker this would be a first for tourism in Belize and a new high for tourist arrivals. At this pace, we project that tourism will generate revenues of around one point four billion dollars this year. This is two hundred million more than we did in 2023. Big growth, I think it will be more than that too.  The cruise sector also a saw resurgence in 2023 with a total of nine hundred thousand visitors from three hundred and one calls. This figure is a significant forty-seven percent increase, reflecting the sector’s continued recovery. There is demand, we have days with requests for more than five ships a day. But we cannot expect to take full advantage without a berthing facility in the Belize District. The longer we take the more the larger ships will continue to bypass Belize as they are doing now.”