Belize City, Belize – September 14th, 2012 – The Belize Tourism Board is pleased to announce that visitors from Brazil, Argentina, and Chile will no longer need visas to visit our beautiful country. The Statutory Instrument waiving visa requirements for visitors from these countries to Belize was signed in August, 2012. The Ministry of Tourism and the BTB views this as a major accomplishment as both have been working tirelessly to change the previous legislation.
“The visa waivers will allow for ease of entry for travellers from South America. This will
encourage more visitors from these South American countries to travel to our jewel as we make travelling to Belize a more appealing and easier experience. North Americans have always travelled to Belize without visas and we are extending this courtesy to some countries in South America as well. The statutory instruments have been signed and the legislation is being gazetted,” remarked Hon. Manuel Heredia Jr., Minister of Tourism and Culture. Belize is one of the world’s leading emerging destinations and reforming travel requirements to our country without compromising national security is one way in which we remain competitive in a global tourism market.
Previously, the majority of tourists to Belize have come out of the North American market, especially the United States and Canada. It is expected that these visa waivers will increase the flow of tourists from the South American countries to Belize benefitting both the tourism industry and the economy. WTO statistics have verified that countries such as those from emerging economies within Latin and South America, and a few others, have been doing well economically and their populations have more disposable income and are travelling more.
For more information on the visa waivers, contact Alyssa Carnegie, Director of Marketing and Industry Relations at the Belize Tourism Board via e-mail acarnegie@travelbelize.org or via phone at 227-2488.
About the Belize Tourism Board
The Belize Tourism Board (BTB) is a statutory body within the Belize Ministry of Tourism and Culture, and it is governed by a Board of Directors appointed by the Minister of Tourism and Culture. The BTB works in conjunction with members of the private sector – including the Belize Hotel Association, Belize Tourism Industry Association and Belize National Tour Operators Association – and is dedicated to building tourism in the most economically and environmentally sustainable manner. As a part of its responsibilities, the BTB promotes Belize as a premier tourism destination to both in-country and international consumers. Among its outreach to the international travel market, the BTB markets the country’s unique attractions to travellers, members of the travel trade industry and media outlets in key markets.
The BTB is also dedicated to developing and implementing tourism programs that will help strengthen and grow the Belizean tourism industry; promote good destination stewardship; and instil high quality standards for accommodations and travel experiences. For more information on the BTB and its services, visit www.travelbelize.org.
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