Hello,
After having an ideal vacation in San Pedro and the surrounding area this past
spring, I have decided to write a paper for my tourism management class at the
University of Colorado in Boulder. I hope that the paper will promote the
beauty and excitement of Ambergris Caye to the point that a number of my
fellow students would desire to travel to the area. Anyway, I have a few
minor questions regarding Ambergris Caye that would help to fill in a few
blanks in my paper. Any information you can provide would be outstanding.

-What tourist destinations do you feel Ambergris Caye is in closest
competition?

-What are the most vital issues resulting from tourism that affect Ambergris
Caye?

-What sustainable tourism efforts have been implemented on Ambergris Caye?

i smell a big fat "F" coming for not turning in your own paper, mister...

I agree wholeheartedly with Toad, unless of course, the student is rich, owns a liquor store, etc...............then I'll make an exception with a little more background.

I think that if this board is researched, alot of useful info could be gleaned to partially answer those questions. Maybe the chamber and tourism boards would be good places to contact. I guess nobody feels like doing somebody's school paper for them.

I recall a professor standing on her soap box saying something on the order of "unless your instructor specifically indicates otherwise (and she never did), the main thrust and composition of any work you do should be your own, not borrowed or paraphrased from secondary sources. She was fervent in her belief that even if the sources are fully documented, a paper which fails to make some point of its own and is simply a compilation of what others have said is worthless and that she would not rate the work above a grade of D. This was a gen ed social and behavioral science course, so I suppose it was relevant.

Excuse me folks but what this person is doing is called RESEARCH. There are many forms and this is a legitimate one as far as I'm concerned. In fact for the questions that have been asked it may be one of the best, if not to answer the questions to at least point the person to a source that can.

For once why don't the lot of you try to provide a legitimate answer to some of the questions that are asked on this board. The board was put here for that purpose not for the expression of what is often a poor attempt at humour. If a legitimate question is asked and you don't have a legitimate answer, keep it to yourself. If you want to open your own threads with asinine comments I have no problem with that but try and keep with the original intent of the board otherwise.

To answer your question: I would try and contact the San Pedro Town Council, the Belize Tourism Board and the Belize Tourism Industry Association. One or all of these may be able to help answer your questions. I don't have the contact information handy but you will be able to find them on the Internet as part of your research.

Good luck.

Coastal Zone Management is the agency that is the liaison with the Ministry of Natural Resources. The burning concern is sustainable tourism. My question has always been.... how many more flushing toilets can these islands handle?

My two cents' worth:

>>-What tourist destinations do you feel Ambergris Caye is in closest competition?<<

In a micro sense, it is probably Caye Caulker and Placencia, but in a larger view it is the Cancun-Tulum corridor or so-called Mayan Riviera area which attracts more visitors in a week than San Pedro does in a couple of years. The Pacific coast of Costa Rica and, increasingly, Panama, are also competition. Roatan is really the Central America destination that is most similar to Ambergris Caye, but it doesn't get the numbers than San Pedro does.

>>What are the most vital issues resulting from tourism that affect Ambergris Caye?<<

• The need for a long-term master plan for development on the island
• Crime, affecting both residents and tourists
• Vehicular traffic issues on the island
• Impact of cruise ship tourism
• Impact of tourism on the barrier reef ecology
• Issues such as medical care and affordable housing for local residents as well as the growing number of expat residents and retirees
• Lack of interest and support by the Belize government for San Pedro tourism
* Revenue and tax issues related to making long-term investments in island tourism
• Issues about how commercial fishing and other local occupations can coexist with tourism, diving, etc.
• Better marketing of the island to tourism markets internationally
• Issues related to the Five Ps of the marketing mix for the island's "brand" -- Pricing, Product, People, Place and Promotion

>>What sustainable tourism efforts have been implemented on Ambergris Caye? <<

Not enough, although the development and expansion of the Hol Chan marine reserve and Bacalar Chico preserve are valuable steps. Sadly, too many Belizean politicos are always ready to sell out to big money interests.

--Lan Sluder <Fodor's, Belize First, San Pedro Cool, Adapter Kit: Belize, etc.>

That is why I emailed my answers, dont want to here the board BS, about opinions.The man is asking for help with research, why does everything have to be turned around into a negative.Give it a break already.
Jackie

You are right, SimonB, and as I really didn't have any input myself, I could only offer suggestions on who to contact. I could have left off that last comment. Opinions are subjective, so I didn't think they would offer much in the way of valid material, but Lan certainly came through with useful answers, as I am sure a few others could. Lesson learned.