And while visitors to the zone are not counted as tourists - 2023 was a very good year for tourism - as Belize's #1 foreign exchange earner continued its rebound from the total flatline it experienced during COVID. Jules Vasquez took a quick look at the numbers:

In December, almost 56 thousand overnight visitors arrived in Belize - the second highest number ever recorded.

Overall for 2023, overnight stays increased by 25%. The total number ended up at 464,717- impressive but still under the pre COVID record of 2019 - when a clean half a million visitors travelled to Belize.

In cruise tourism - cruise ship calls on Belize in 2023 increased by almost 50% from the previous year. 904,189 cruisers calls on Belize - an impressive rebound, but it also trailed behind 2019's 1.1 million visitors.

So, while he 25% growth in overnight visitors, and the 47% growth in cruise in 2023 are significant steps in the incremental post COVID recovery, everything is political, and we get the sense that Minister Anthony Mahler and his team won't be satisfied until he outdoes his predecessor Junior Herredia and eclipses that 2019 figure. His ministry has not publicized its 2024 projections.

A number of Caribbean countries have also not returned to pre-COVID numbers. Barbados is a fair comparison; at the end of 2023, they were projected to be at 86% of their 2019 numbers; Belize is at 92%.