Belize Tourism Industry

Tourism is fast becoming the leading economic engine of the country. [4] In a recent speech to the Belize tourism industry, Prime Minister Dean Barrow said:

"The World Travel and Tourism Council has reported that the tourism industry is responsible for 297 million jobs worldwide. It contributes over 8 trillion dollars to the global GDP. In Belize, over 25% of all jobs is tourism-driven or tourism-related, with the industry directly responsible for over 18% of our GDP. According to the Central Bank, tourism last year accounted for 590 million dollars in revenue. This figure was up 90 million over the previous year, despite the effects of Hurricanes Dean and Felix on the industry generally and the cruise sector in particular. And tourism is now, and has been for some time, our number one foreign exchange earner. In other words, ladies and gentlemen, tourism is for Belize very serious business indeed."

Key Note Belize City - 15 May, 2008 - Biltmore Plaza Hotel - Address by Prime Minister, Hon. Dean Barrow to the 10th Annual Industry Presentation.