So, the domestic tourism push started today where Belizeans, meaning those who still have jobs and full paying ones, will be enticed by discounts and special packages to visit our local hotels and resorts.
For hotel owners and employees this is a thin olive branch of hope in a time of devastating losses to company and individual earnings.
The president of the hotel association yesterday told us that hotel owners are trying their best to weather the hard times, and prepare for a phased recovery later this year:
Ted Tejada - President, Belize Hotel Association
"We're asking the entire industry. We're asking all the hoteliers. We know the economic crunch that we are all undergoing. This is not going to be any time soon. And even when the borders are open, to be honest, we do not see flocks of tourists coming to the country of Belize because Belize is open. So, this going to be a systematic recovery system in Belize. We don't see it any time earlier than November, to be honest."
Reporter
"What is the sentiment that you get from the members when talking to them about this particularly extreme hardship? Is there desperation, hope, maybe a mix of both?"
Ted Tejada
"Nobody has ever lived [through] a pandemic like this. We always prepare in November, actually August, September, and October, for the hike of the hurricane season. We know that its our slow season. We're going to slow down. But, nobody prepares for a pandemic like this in your high season. So, yes, it's a lot of mixed emotions not only within the industry but within the entire country. Extreme measures had to be taken, such as the lockdown which was very necessary to take place so that we can eradicate the virus in Belize. So, it creates a lot of mixed emotions within the community, the membership, and we're asking them for patience. There's no silver lining in this pandemic. Nobody knows what's going to happen tomorrow. This is changing by the day, by the minute. So, we have hope. We're asking everyone to have hope. We know that we all go through this stretching during these times. And if you're a person of faith, we believe that God will provide, and tourism will come back. And it's not only going to come back. It's going to be double of what we were doing prior to the pandemic."
Tejada tells us that very shortly, there should be a tabulation available of all the revenues that the tourism industry has lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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