And while the unemployment spiked to double figures, GDP growth in the third quarter of the year remained unimpressive, but stable, which is not bad considering the effect of the drought.
Jacqueline Sabal, Statistician II, S.I.B.
For the 3rd quarter of September 2019, Belize produced goods and services totalling $663.1 million dollars. This represents an increase of $11.5 million dollars or 1.8% from the same period pf last year."
One of the major figures that stood out was the decline in tourism - the first quarterly downturn in many, many years.
Jacqueline Sabal, Statistician II, S.I.B.
"We saw a decline in the hotels and restaurant industry by 11.1% or $2.6 million dollars bringing the total for that industry to $21 million dollars. Looking closer at hotels and restaurants, overnight visitors to the country decreased by 3.9% which subsequently caused a 6.2% drop in hotel room revenue. Cruise visitors to the country also decreased in the quarter by 20.7%." Tourist arrivals were down as the total number of overnight visitors to the country fell from 102,600 visitors in the 3rd quarter of 2018 to 98,600 in the same period of 2019."
"2,400 less American tourists visited the country, 477 less Canadian tourists and 137 less tourists from the United Kingdom visited the country. Cruise passenger arrivals drop 20.7% as a total of 13 less ship calls were made during the quarter."
The tourism decline started in July, right after a tourist Dr. Gary Swank was murdered in June while he was fly fishing.
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