Contact: Mike Hernandez
Communication & PR Officer
Belize Tourism Board
Contact: 227-2420
 
OVERNIGHT TOURISM ARRIVALS REGISTER RECORD BREAKING INCREASE FOR 2017
 
Belize City, Friday, 8th January 2018 : For the second year in a row, overnight tourism arrivals have registered a record breaking increase with the December figure for 2017 approaching 50,000 overnight visitors in one month for the first time in history.  Overnight arrivals to Belize surpassed 427,000 visitors in 2017, vastly surpassing the 400,000 annual visitor threshold. This figure represented an 10.8% increase over the annual total of 2016.
 
The total cruise ship passenger arrivals experienced an overall growth of 0.9% in 2017.  This translated to over 1,000,000 cruise visitors arriving in Belize for the second year in a row.
 
The following is a breakdown of the most recent statistics.
 
OVERNIGHT ARRIVALS REGISTERS 10.8% OVER THE ANNUAL TOTAL OF 2016
 
Traditionally March has been the zenith for overnight arrivals, but December has slowly been approaching the figure for March in recent years. The first time in recent history that December was the peak month for overnight arrivals to Belize was in 2015. In 2017, December surpassed the overnight arrival figure for March by almost 5,000 visitors! Overnight arrivals to Belize was 427,109 visitors in 2017.

  

CRUISE SHIP ARRIVALS  EXPERIENCED OVERALL GROWTH FOR 2017
 
In 2017, total cruise ship passenger arrivals experienced an overall growth of 0.9%. This translated to over 1,000,000 cruise visitors arriving in Belize. In addition, there were 13 more calls this year as compared to 2016. This is positive news. Cruise Ship Arrivals of 1,014,231 for 2017 includes visitors to both Belize City and Harvest Caye Seaports. 



 



The record increase in tourism arrivals is a reassertion that Belize continues to be a growing, viable and a must-visit destination in Central America and the Caribbean. Likewise, it emphasizes the effective and extremely successful efforts of the Belize Tourism Board to market Belize as a Curious Place and as a first-class tourism destination. 



About the Belize Tourism Board
The Belize Tourism Board (BTB) is a statutory body within the Belize Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation, and it is governed by a Board of Directors appointed by the Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation. 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 travelers, 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.