Belize is in a recession, but one thing that has proven to be recession
proof is cruise tourism. Sure, overnight tourism has taken a sharp downturn
in 2009, falling by as much as 5.2%, but cruise tourism went up by almost 6%
compared to 2008. And tomorrow, what’s known as the cruise tourism high
season will start out encouragingly with the arrival of three cruise ships.
They are the Liberty of the Seas, which caries over four thousand three
hundred passengers, the Ryndam which caries one thousand two hundred passengers
and the Carnival Valor which carries three thousand five hundred passengers.
That’s over nine thousand passengers heading to Belize tomorrow. It’s
right on time for the tourism industry and long time tour guide and operator
Tom Greenwood told us what it means for his industry.
Tom Greenwood, Tour Guide & Operator
“This is the beginning of the high season in which we have seen in
past years an approximation of between nine to ten thousand people usually on
a Wednesday and Thursday. The cruise ship days are basically Tuesday Wednesday
and Thursday because of their unique schedules, leaving the United States and
getting back. So we see the beginning of the high season and it comes not a
moment too soon because the low season has been extremely low. A lot more people
are involved in the business. I have seen many more tour operators come on line,
many more guides of course come on line, in fact a lot more guides because the
industry does need guides. So the cruise industry has now gone into high season.”
Jules Vasquez,
“Are we expecting a stronger high season than we saw last year?”
Tom Greenwood,
“I believe so and the introduction of Royal Caribbean’s Liberty
of the Seas which as you know has over 4,000 means the entry of bigger cruise
ships into Belize. The United States is seeing a rebound in its economy and
this is good news because we are aware that the United States is kingpin where
the economic factor is concerned and so that is news for us indeed.
I hope the money that flows down now during the high season will go into
the pockets and the hands of so many people who do need them at what we call
the base level and we can only pray Jules that does happen, it needs to happen.”
It is estimated that 597,000 cruise visitors arrived in 2008 down 4.3%
from the previous year. So far for 2009 from January through to the end up September,
arrivals are up by 7.7%.
Email
Print