From CH5 News:
Tourism statistics up for 9th straight month

Somebody must be doing something right because for
the ninth consecutive month a record number of
tourists have arrived at Belize's main port of entry,
the Philip Goldson International Airport. Figures for
June record 10,681 bona fide tourist arrivals for the
month compared to 8,202 during the same period last
year, an impressive increase of 32.2 percent. Reasons
offered for the radically improved situation include a
well focused international advertising campaign by the
Belize Tourism Board, favourable press reports and a
buoyant economy in the United States of America,
Belize's major source of visitors. BTB officials expect
the trend to continue, fueled by increased promotional
efforts and the steadily improving quality of the
nation's tourism product. In related news Cabinet has
endorsed a proposal to build two large upscale hotels
on northern Ambergris Caye near Punta Azul. The two
properties will have a total of five hundred rooms.
Funding will be provided by Rochamel Development
Company Ltd., the respective hotel management
companies and the Government of Belize. The
project's feasibility study is now being finalised and
work should begin by the end of the year.

Also do not forget the word of mouth from all of us that visit Belize. We all come home and spread the word, and now our friends are visiting Belize. Other visitors told me of the beauty, and that was the way I truly learned of Belize first hand.

Capt Jesse,
Question. It was my understanding that AC had decided that there were to be no hotels or buildings more than three stories high. By my estimation, if you take that into consideration, 500 rooms with only a three story building, we're talking about two HUGE, sprawling complexes. With the increase in tourists, would this mean paved streets and cars????? Would this mean massive development of the north side?? A bridge? golf courses? What do you see????

Hiss..Boo...Hiss on the 500 hundred rooms. Fortunately, like so many other things in BZ it will probably just be smoke and mirrors, or else the "developers" will wake up and realize that they're going to build their resort in a mangrove swamp. (remember the Dolphin group, casino and jet airstrip?)

We have personally quit talking about Belize to people unless they have already been there or are planning to go. Where in the world do we go next when the streets get paved in SP?

Part of this is tongue in cheek but part is serious. The citizens of BZ deserve the rewards of a healthy tourism, but at the same time I feel they are trying hard to maintain the "quasi primitiveness" that has made it such a charm for so many of us for so long. It is almost a pardox that really can't be won.

In the meantime it is one of the most relaxing places on the planet.