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| SOMETHING TO 'BELIZE' IN | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Belize Tourist Board comes to Canada for first time in 3 years, presents to agents in Montreal and Toronto
Several hotel partners also made the trek from Belize, including the Almond Beach Belize, Jaguar Reef Lodge and CHAA Creek. Tour operators, travel agents, the media and other travel partners were present for a short 20-minute presentation from the BTB and its hotel partners. TRAVELHotNews.com spent some one-on-one time with Marketing Officer Melecia Banks from the BTB, who said this is the first time in three years Belize has travelled to Canada to promote their destination. With the rising value of the Canadian dollar, Banks said that there has been a significant increase in demand and travel to her destination, judging from surveys and number of calls to the consumer 1-800 number. The Belize dollar is pegged to the U.S. dollar, with 2 Belize dollars to 1 U.S. While Americans are still the number one market by far (after all, from the southern U.S. it can take just 2 hours to fly to Belize), Canadians are a hot emerging market. More luxury, a growth in weddings market
Eco-tourism is a huge draw for Canadians, who tend to be more adventurous, said Banks; your clients can participate in horseback rides, rainforest hikes, mountain biking at Mayan ruins, deep sea fishing and more. While your clients can stay at eco-lodges (more rustic) like CHAA Creek, there are also more high-end, luxury properties available that have come online in the past few years. In addition, Banks noted that destination weddings and honeymoons are an “up and coming” market, and the adventure and eco-tourism market has also grown in the past three years. Who travels to Belize? With a wealth of activities to participate in, it’s not surprising that Belize draws a more diverse clientele. Before, the age group was 18 to 35; now, Banks says the typical client is aged anywhere from 30 to 54. Canadian travellers typically hail from Toronto (the largest market to date), as well as Montreal and, increasingly, from the province from Alberta. Almond Beach Belize & Jaguar Reef Lodge
The nearby Jaguar Reef Lodge has just been purchased by the Hayles family; clients at this resort tend to be adventure travellers who want a comfortable beach environment to stay at, while exploring the nearby reef and jungle. Canadian travel agents can enjoy a “double commission” when booking accommodation, trips and meals at either resort. CHAA Creek
This is an excellent resort for your adventurous clients who want to explore and trek, so if they expect air-conditioning, ice machines and a hairdryer, this is not the right place for them. CHAA Creek was built on 365 acres of rainforest reserve and your clients will enjoy, at no extra charge, access to the reserve, guided tours of the on-site natural history centre and butterfly farm, access to a Maya Trail system, canoeing, an early morning guided bird walk, and more. Both Hayles and Tonti said that clients tend to go to Belize for about 7 days, which can be split up between inland (jungle) and beach resorts. Your clients can choose how to split the days (4 days at one resort and 3 days at another). All hoteliers work closely with one another and can accommodate any requests. Hotel prices for either of the resorts cost about $300-350 US per person per night, with meals, transfers and tours included, for the most part. More about Belize…
The country is relatively small so it can be explored in a short amount of time. The official language is English (and Spanish), so your clients should have no difficulty communicating with the locals. Belize is also a Commonwealth country and is very safe for tourists. Seventy-five per cent of the country is covered in rainforest and remains pristine, as 60 per cent is reserved land and cannot be touched. Canadians are important! Canadians are an up and coming market for Belize and a valuable one to their tourism industry, as Canadians tend to stay longer (10 days on average) than the typical American (about 7 days). Your clients will need only a passport to enter Belize; no other documentation is required prior to arrival. For the past three years, Signature Vacations has offered chartered flights from December to March from Toronto to Belize City, which is very popular. Otherwise, your clients can connect to Belize via the U.S. with major airlines like American Airlines, U.S. Airways and more. In 2009, the airport will be expanding and the tourist board hopes that more direct flights will come from other areas of Canada. A new specialist program is being updated, with more news to come shortly.
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