Welcome to Belize; such a curious place

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

Before you sit down to read this, and begin to make your travel plans, let us get you set up with a drink.

Today we are going to do a Mango Cocktail, brought to you by Belize’s finest rum Old Master. It is nice and easy, and it will put you in the mood for: white sand beaches, tantalizing turquoise waters, and bright sunny skies that will lift the end of summer blues.

You will need:

• Fresh lime ½ oz.
• Syrup 1 oz.
• Mango puree
• (Old Master) Coconut Rum
• (Old Master) White rum

Combine everything in a shaker and shake for 15 seconds. I will give you a few minutes to finish this.

Are we ready? Time to take you on a virtual trip into a tropical haven.

The need to travel for business has decreased, and more families are finding ways to take advantage of their now open, and flexible schedules. For some, the end of summer is just the beginning of their adventures.

The pandemic has changed everything. Travelling has taken on a different look, now that parents are working remotely, and children are embracing virtual learning. There is less reason to structure travel plans around holidays, now a family can plan trips around their personal schedules.

The March lockdown has brought about this urgency to vacation, and for good reason. According to a new Travel Intelligence Report from MMGY, more than half of travellers (54%) said they are more likely to travel this fall than in previous years.

What is amazing is that this is happening at a time when travel remains depressed.

Travel destinations are aware of this trend and are preparing to welcome travellers back to their islands. The Belize Tourism Board contacted the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper about an opportunity to virtually experience what travellers have to look forward to when they open their borders on October 1^st, 2020.

The Prime Minister of Belize (the Rt. Hon. Dean O. Barrow), made the official announcement that Belize’s International Airport (BZE), the Philip Goldson International Airport will be opened on October 1^st, 2020, as part of the country’s five-phase re-opening strategy for tourism. The island was supposed to reopen in August, however the opening was delayed. The island was being cautious for their visitors and residents.

The Belize Tourism Board wanted travel writers like myself to see what the island had in store for us, so on Tuesday, September 22^nd, 2020, I jumped online and made a trip to Belize.

Upon my arrival, I was greeted by rhythmic drumming on the beach that was accompanied by women demonstrating local dance moves. All of the travel writers and bloggers on the virtual experience were brought in by WestJet, and greeted by the tourism team which included:

• A Welcome from Tanya Kedikian
• Introduction to Mrs Misty Michael (Director of Marketing & Industry Relations)

• Introduction to Mrs Jocelle Stephen (Marketing & Industry Relations Manager)

• Mr. Perry Bodden Jr. (Digital Marketing Manager)

We learned about the extensive work that the team had done to ensure that travellers were safe, including the initiation of the Tourism Gold Standard Recognition Program.  The program included online check-in and checkout, as well as mandatory mask wearing in public spaces. Guests and employees will have to undergo daily health checks, and the hotels that have implemented the Gold Standard Program have set aside “isolation/quarantine rooms” for anyone who may have contracted the virus.

The island has also set up a 9 Step Health and Safety Program to assist in controlling the spread of the virus. The program includes a safe corridor that minimizes interactions between local community and visitors. Visitors will need to download the Belize Health App at least three days before boarding a flight, which can be used for contact tracing and reporting health symptoms. Travellers will have the option to take a COVID-19 test 72 hours ahead of departure and will have to verify their negative results when they arrive in Belize. If they have not taken a test, then they will be tested on arrival.

Now that we were virtually settled on the island, we began to discover the curious place called Belize. Our tour groups were much smaller, and we had to set up an appointment for tours to limit the total number of people who were at attractions at one time. Then the fun began.

We had a chance to visit:

• Ambergris Caye
• Baboon Sanctuary
• Gladding Spit
• The Great Blue Hole
• Butterfly Falls
• Butterfly Farm
• Maya Culture
• Green Iguana Project
• Silk Cayes
• Blue Creek
• Belize Zoo Tour with Jamal Andrewin- Bohn

What a wonderful experience it was, and I have to admit I felt a little cheated. Everything looked so beautiful and serene, and just like that, it was over. My only hope is that I will be able to explore Belize in person. The experience most certainly left me feeling curious.