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Joined: Mar 2006
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Phil and Katie- I am 100% with you. I do not want to be, nor should we aspire to, or compare ourselves with Jamaica, Cancun or any place else. We are not them, we are so much more.

Sometimes, when something precious is close by, we tend to discount it as not-special-enough. This phenomenon happens with romance, friends, great art, and destinations.

I have FOUR friends coming down, staying in a condo, renting a private boat for a day, 4 round trip tickets on Tropic, and a golf cart rental...FOR FOUR people - total price $3381.08 TOTAL...or only $845.27 per person for a week. This does not include international airfare, but even if they pay $700, you are only looking at $1545.

I'm sorry, i dont think thats a lot of money to be in one the most untouched, truly authentic, culturally immersed, stunningly beautiful places anyone can imagine being in....in less than 2 hours from a US airport.

Sorry, i dont bitch about the prices. I Embrace them! $600 a week tourists will kill this island, not help it.

Viva La Exclusivity! laugh

Now as a side note, did you know you can fly to cancun, rent a car for less than $15 a day, park it at the border for $5 a day (henry takes care of it for you) and $40 ROUND trip per van to get to Corozal? You'll save on airfare to the island (not flying from international) and still get the purported "great prices" to cancun. If you have a car full (family of 4 lets say) you can save a bundle, and its a very easy drive.

the net net on this whole thing is: We've all heard all the complaints about the airfare, and it is what it is. To me, its completely wasted energy...sorta like complaining about rain.

If you arent part of the solution, you are part of the problem. The real solution is to find ways to creatively increase tourism....on our own.

A Rising Tide Raises All Boats.

Joined: Jan 2010
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I dont think anyone is trying to compare Belize to anywhere else. We are talking about air fares, how they affect our tourism and are they fair considering that basic operating costs should be similar for destinations that are close together, like Belize City and Cancun. Why should the airlines have the money as opposed to the visitor having it to spend when he gets here. Please listen to the gentleman from GL that took the time to write. The point is no effort is being made in this front nor crime. Our local boards have given the false impression that we have gang war in San Pedro and that it is not safe for tourists. Neither of these statements are true. No its not as safe as it once was but to think of San Pedro as a crime center is just false. North Ambergris Caye particularly is very safe and crimes against tourists are extremely rare, any where on the island.

Joined: Mar 2006
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comparing is comparing...whether its a portion of a thing or the entire thing. its like saying i'm not comparing two people but that one is smarter than the other, but since i'm not comparing the size of their fanny, its not a comparison.

none of us work for the airline, we cant change it UNLESS we figure out other ways to get people here. period. done and done

sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo tired of the 'airfare' is expensive...it IS expensive, it SUCKs, but we cant change it UNLESS we fill the planes that are coming. Full planes are the key...and THAT we CAN accomplish by marketing and servicing intelligently.



Joined: Jan 2008
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I agree Lara,you have such a way of saying things.Everyone has an opinion,(Lara read the article). You are amazing,Kind, considerate and respectful of others.Lara I think you are sooooo
correct,i enjoy your reading.Lara get your but over here for a cocktail or dinner,we miss you.Rock On

Joined: Mar 2001
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I spoke with an airline executive that shed some light on this issue of ticket prices to Belize. There are a number of factors that go into determining the ticket cost i.e. Landing fees, fuel cost are ones governments have some control over. But the single most determining issue is the load factor. If a plane can carry 100 passengers, the airline looks at how many seats it sells over the years time. If they average 90 seats the cost is divided by 90, if 50 by 50. So you can see that makes a big difference. Their planes flying to other destinations in Mexico and Central America are fuller on the average than those flying to Belize.
I ask why prices were higher during the high season and the reason given is supply and demand. The airlines can charge more during the high demand times that helps off set the costs of the slow times allowing the airline to still keep prices reasonable for the slow time.
In trying to figure out how to get better airfares, it goes to the issues pointed out by Mrs. (not Mr.) Whowell. Like it or not, Belize has a declining image issue - perceived or real. Sure many of you can rationalize that Belize is this wonderful place in your mind, but that is how you and those tourists that do come here perceive it. What she is telling us is that there are more of her clients who choose not to come to Belize now than in the past. And, those are the ones that Belize needs to fill those empty seats.
If Belize continues to rely on its past image and does not correct the negatives, crime, over development, lack of infrastructure and destruction of the environment - the ones it has the most control over - it will continue to loose popularity with the tourists that look to this area for vacation.




Joined: Sep 2002
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Ernie B Offline OP
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sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo tired of the 'airfare' is expensive...it IS expensive, it SUCKs, but we cant change it UNLESS we fill the planes that are coming. Full planes are the key...and THAT we CAN accomplish by marketing and servicing intelligently.

from Lara:
_________________________

For the unwashed, how do you propose to do that ?

Joined: Mar 2003
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It seems we're all arguing from the same side of the fence.

Ernie's above question hits the nail on the head, as does ByWarren's last sentance. It's an answer that is a Catch 22 to a degree. We'll never see flight prices as low as our neighbours, other than occassional specials. It's not just tourist seats that fill planes either. Think how many expat Central Americans/Mexicans and business people fly back and forth in the region compared to Belizeans. We have virtually no International business or returning familly partly due to a tiny population.

We have to market to our strengths. Vitally, we have to sort out what we can and fast. The crime, the litter, growth control, the general respect people have for each other. When there is money for investment in infrastucture, where and how it's spent has to improve. We badly need Government help for this too. We need a new Red or Blue George Price to step forward that thinks Belize first not their party or their pocket.

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Ernie B Offline OP
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Cont just went up another $50. Now $795. shocked

Last edited by Ernie B; 02/25/11 03:11 PM.
Joined: Apr 2000
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I wonder if Groupon coupons are available for hotels in Belize, targeting consumers in key Belize gateway markets like Houston, Dallas, New York, Atlanta and Charlotte?

Maybe too expensive?

Groupon and other internet couponing companies are on a roll -- for example Groupon's revenue increased 23-fold in the past year, with one-third of it coming from outside the U.S.


Joined: Apr 2009
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Wait until you see what the situation in the Middle East does to fuel and therefore air travel prices. My perspective is that the image problem is the single most important issue facing tourism in Belize. It's bad enough in Mexico but when people check out Belize or talk to someone that has gotten off a cruise ship in Belize City then we are in for it. If we could clean up the crime problem, which I am not sure is possible and the corruption problem which I am sure can't be solved then we will be in a much better position as a destination.

Last edited by CaptOneIron; 02/25/11 04:33 PM.

Captain One Iron
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