It's been a year since the BTB took on a new direction behind director Seleni Matus. And while the new model has attracted its share of controversy and rancor, today the Prime Minister made it clear, he is completely with it, because the numbers show that tourism has taken a turn from contraction to growth. We found at more at the event today:…

Jules Vasquez Reporting
The BTB pulled out all the stops for the 12th. Tourism Industry Presentation. It was a full house at the Biltmore this morning, industry stakeholders, government officials, diplomats, officials, observers, advisors; it was webcast, broadcast on TV and radio to Belize, and all points beyond.

But more than just a show, it is a reckoning, the Prime Minister keyed in on why the event is important

Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"It provides the opportunity for BTB, the Ministry of Tourism and the Government of Belize. In the full exacting and perhaps pitiless glare of media and public scrutiny to account to you the stakeholders for the health of the industry. It gives all of you a chance to mark your scorecard and having done that to holler back to let us know what we are doing right, what we are doing wrong and what we are perhaps not doing at all."

Seleni Matus, Director of Tourism
"At the end of the day this is the pulse check. Today serves as the pulse check - we are here to basically share with you the challenges and achievements we've made in this past 12 months."

And, what the renewed BTB is doing is rebounding from a year of negative growth - which accounted for a quarter of GDP even in a down year.

Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"Tourism must continue to be the consuming pre-occupation of our national economic development strategy. Accordingly we will charter now a national tourism council design to mainline tourism into the country's development strategy. Tourism must now be operationally enshrine as a priority across ministries."

And apart from taking a place of prominence in government affairs - the BTB is almost doubling its expenditure on marketing:

Seleni Matus, Director of Tourism
"This year is a big year. We are really bringing about a large infusion of funding to marketing in order to really help us make that leap."

Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"The BTB has spent as average of 6.5 million dollars annually on marketing. This year that is going to increase to 12.1 million dollars. There was a BTB operating surplus last year of 2.2 million dollars and that the money realize from the new efficiencies will be plowed straight back into marketing."

Seleni Matus, Director of Tourism
"That doubling comes with a lot of deliberate thinking that it is putting each dollar in the places where they need to be and so it's really doubling with a lot of strategy behind there."

The strategy is for the BTB to use internet and new media to promote the Belize product:

Seleni Matus, Director of Tourism
"What you will see the BTB do is really infuse innovation and so they will be giving you a sense of the new approaches and tactics that we will be using to really put Belize in those spaces we are meeting consumers and that's what has been lacking. We have been out there put not in those spaces where you are finding consumers."

And the Prime Minister made it clear that he was duly impressed with the plan for what's ahead:

Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"There is a positive culture shift at the BTB at a herculean effort now at a great leap forward and this is to be commended."

And if there were still some doubters in the audience - the PM made it clears which is the horse and which is the carriage:

Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"I reiterate the fact that in tourism governments' official agencies must work in lock-step with the private sector."

And if all parties can work together…

Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"No one can doubt that now is the time for us to become a global leader, a global model for sustainable tourism development."

At this morning's event, the BTB also publicized the fact that it's giving 2.2 million dollars to its partners, the BTIA and the Belize Hotel Association….