On Thursday, May 21st, Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation Honourable Manuel Heredia Jr. announced that via an upcoming Statutory Instrument (SI), all tour guides countrywide will be able to renew their license at no cost, from June through August 2020. This is a way to assist tour guides affected by the current COVID-19 crisis, and as soon as the SI is passed, renewals can start online through the Belize Tourism Board's website,
www.belizetourismboard.org. Any applicants renewing their license after this three-month period will have to go through the normal process and pay a fee.
According to Heredia, the SI should be ready by next week, and he has deemed it as urgent to help the tour guides. This proposal will then be given to the Attorney General Honourable Michael Peyrefitte and explained in a roundtable discussion. Once the SI becomes official, applicants will not need to produce police records, get recommendations and other routine requirements to renew their licenses. "All they have to do is go online, apply and they will be issued a renewal license as soon as possible," said Heredia. Something similar is being planned for the tour operators if it is needed by the time the need to renew their licenses.
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