AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums About Belize Nation RECORD SETTING TOURIST ARRIVALS AT PGIA FOR MAY 2001

BELIZE CITY, June 5, 2001---The Belize Tourism Board reports a record setting 11,832 tourist arrivals at the Phillip Goldson International Airport for the month of May 2001. This figure represents a 7.9% increase over May 2000. There has been a total of 66,630 tourist arrivals at PGIA for this year so far (Jan May), which represents a 1.7% increase over last year, same period. Hotel tax returns also indicate an overall increase.

"Tourist arrival numbers for May 2001 were the highest number ever recorded for the month of May," comments Tracy Taegar, Director of Tourism. "We are hopeful that this is an indication that tourist arrivals will be up during the upcoming summer months."

The BTB's marketing campaign is ongoing, and there are many projects aimed at encouraging travel during the summer months. The BTB recently embarked on a television advertising campaign on national cable networks. The thirty-second Belize ad was aired on The Weather Channel, TV Guide, Fox News, AMC and The Travel Channel. The campaign has been running since April, and will end on June 15, with total estimated spots of over 700.

"Last year, Belize experienced record breaking highs for tourist arrivals throughout the usually slow summer months," comments Mark Espat, Minister of Tourism. "With a strong marketing campaign, it is our intention to focus our efforts on maintaining the high arrival numbers during the traditionally slower period, and we are pleased that May numbers reflect that this objective is already being met."

Tourist arrivals up again in May

While filling hotels during the winter months of
December, January, February and March has never
been a major problem for Belizean tourism operators,
the other eight months of the year have traditionally
been the industry's downfall. But figures released
today indicate that those familiar patterns may be
changing. Tourist arrivals for May at the Philip Goldson
International Airport jumped a whopping seven point
nine percent over a year earlier, setting a new record
for the month. Eleven thousand, eight hundred and
thirty-two bonafide tourists touched down at the
airport, which is the main port of entry for visiting
vacationers. There had been some concern, as April
arrivals at the P.G.I.A., were just slightly ahead of
April 2000. But the jump in May has put the
year-to-date arrivals up a solid one point seven
percent over 2000, which was itself the best year yet
for Belizean tourism. Another indication of strong
off-season demand is the decision by American
Airlines to put a Boeing 757 into service on its Miami
run. The new jet, which can seat a hundred and
seventy-eight passengers, as opposed to one hundred
and thirty-eight in the aging 727, will go into service
on July second.