Sarita's Singular Contribution
Sarita Tillett's name and legacy is ubiquitous in tourism circles. She and her husband are said to be the forerunners and trailblazers at the nascence an industry that has become Belize's largest foreign exchange earner. And while her tourism tales will live on, Sarita passed away yesterday, at the age of 78. Many of the people she inspired took to Facebook to tell the story of their history with Sarita. And the president of the BTIA stopped by our studio and told us about some of her contributions to the industry. Courtney Menzies has this story.
78-year-old Sarita Tillett had become synonymous with tourism and hospitality, leading the charge for the industry to become the revenue earner it is today.
Sarita and her husband, Lascelle, started their company, S&L Tours, almost half a century ago and it is still in operation. The president of the Belize Tourism Industry Association explained that it was the start of Belize becoming a tourist destination.
Stewart Krohn, President, BTIA/Friend
"Sarita Tillett was a real original, pioneer in the industry, the high opinion and respect that everyone who participated in this industry had for Sarita, I don't know many people who are as well loved and respected as Sarita Tillett."
"S&L Tours was, to my recollection, really the first honest to goodness tour company that operated on a professional level and the way that she and Lascelle, her husband, operated was really unique, sometimes when you're in business, the way you have to operate a business is at cross purposes with the notion of authenticity. In other words, you can't always be nice and business like at the same time but I think what was unique about the way Sarita and Lascelle operated their business is they could be very good business people and at the same time not make enemies and really represent Belize very well as just a great image for the country and for a lot of visitors being on a tour or a transport with S&L Tours, it was in many cases their first introduction in the country and I can't imagine a better introduction to Belize than to be in the hands of Lascelle and Sarita."
And Sarita and Lascelle paved the way for the other stakeholders that came behind them.
Stewart Krohn, President, BTIA/Friend
"Lascelle and Sarita certainly set the bar very high for the future of tour companies and tourism in Belize in general, there are now bigger companies probably than S&L but the pattern of behavior that they set both as tour operators and tour guides, it really set the country off on a great path. A lot of people may not realise it but the tour guides and tour operators, that sector of the industry in Belize is bar none, look at all our competitors, everyone that travels the world knows that our tour operators and our tour guides in Belize are the best in the region, the best in the world and Lascelle and Sarita had a lot to do with that."
And he's not the only one with memorable encounters with the tourism trailblazer. Politician Tracy Taegar Panton wrote on her Facebook page, quote, "You were a hard worker and you broke many barriers for young women like me who wanted a career in tourism… your fire was contagious and so was the joy you radiated from within."
And the Speaker of the House shared those sentiments, writing, quote, "She stood out to me because as the young enthusiastic woman I was trying to carve out a career path in Belize where patriarchy and misogyny were (and still are) ripe, I saw her tear down those walls and made her presence and her voice known."</b>
Channel 7