Cruise Line Just Made Its First-Ever Call to Belize
MSC Cruises has made its inaugural call to Belize. After departing its home port in Falmouth Jamaica this week and making its way through Georgetown, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Mexico, MSC Divina landed in Belizean waters. “We welcome the new European cruise line, MSC Cruises, in their inaugural call to Belize,” said Director of Destination Planning and Cruise, Valdemar Andrade. “We are happy to have them as a new cruise line partner for our destination and we invite to discover how to be. The MSC calls are a part of initial calls to explore what the destination has to offer. The BTB and the Belize Cruise Port are working with them to increase calls subsequent to these. We certainly see the cruise industry remaining robust and well above 300 calls for the year at the Belize City Port. In 2016, there will also be an additional line calling as well.” MSC Cruises is a division of the Mediterranean Shipping Company. “Belize Cruise Port is thrilled to host the first in MSC Cruises’ Fantasia Class, the Divina, in our magical destination,” Elad Aharon, General Manager of the Fort Street Tourism Village. “We are grateful for the opportunity to work with MSC and we are looking forward to support their growth in Belize.”
Caribbean and Latin America Outlook 2016: The Biggest Stories for The Year Ahead
Caribbean and Latin America 2016: What We're Watching in the New Year. Tourism Reckoning Ahead for Belize: Norwegian Cruise Line is expected to debut Harvest Caye, a $50 million private cruise development featuring a floating ship pier, an island village, a lagoon for water sports and a beach area, in February. Located off the coastal town of Placencia, the project has been kept close to the vest by Norwegian officials, although it’s expected to have a significant impact on tourism to Belize, whose intimate character is undergoing change amidst strong tourist arrivals growth. Harvest Caye’s debut will boost the country’s already strong cruise sector growth. Despite lacking a dedicated ship pier and terminal, Belize is on the verge of becoming the eighth Caribbean Tourism Organization destination to exceed one million annual cruise ship visitors. Belize hosted 986,131 cruise passengers in 2014, an explosive 42.9 percent increase over the 677,350 cruise vacationers hosted in 2013. Despite a slowdown in 2015, Belize’s land-based tourism has also surged in recent years. Last year Belize recorded 321,217 land-based, overnight visitors, a 9.2 percent increase over 2013. While the 101,747 tourist arrivals hosted between January and March represents a slight 1.1 percent increase over 2014, the country is still considered on track to continue as a fast-growing Caribbean travel destination. Indeed in September Dean Barrow, Belize’s prime minister, said the government would seek to build a new international airport on Ambergis Caye, one of the country’s top off-shore island destinations. The question for Belize is how the transition to mass tourism will impact the once-sleepy exotic destination.
Caribbean and Latin America Outlook 2016: The Biggest Stories for The Year Ahead
Caribbean and Latin America 2016: What We're Watching in the New Year. Tourism Reckoning Ahead for Belize: Norwegian Cruise Line is expected to debut Harvest Caye, a $50 million private cruise development featuring a floating ship pier, an island village, a lagoon for water sports and a beach area, in February. Located off the coastal town of Placencia, the project has been kept close to the vest by Norwegian officials, although it’s expected to have a significant impact on tourism to Belize, whose intimate character is undergoing change amidst strong tourist arrivals growth. Harvest Caye’s debut will boost the country’s already strong cruise sector growth. Despite lacking a dedicated ship pier and terminal, Belize is on the verge of becoming the eighth Caribbean Tourism Organization destination to exceed one million annual cruise ship visitors. Belize hosted 986,131 cruise passengers in 2014, an explosive 42.9 percent increase over the 677,350 cruise vacationers hosted in 2013. Despite a slowdown in 2015, Belize’s land-based tourism has also surged in recent years. Last year Belize recorded 321,217 land-based, overnight visitors, a 9.2 percent increase over 2013. While the 101,747 tourist arrivals hosted between January and March represents a slight 1.1 percent increase over 2014, the country is still considered on track to continue as a fast-growing Caribbean travel destination. Indeed in September Dean Barrow, Belize’s prime minister, said the government would seek to build a new international airport on Ambergis Caye, one of the country’s top off-shore island destinations. The question for Belize is how the transition to mass tourism will impact the once-sleepy exotic destination.
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