BELIZE CITY, Belize, June 26, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, the Prime Minister of Belize made the official announcement that Belize's international airport (BZE), the Philip Goldson International Airport will be opened on August 15, 2020, as part of the country's five-phase re-opening strategy for tourism. The opening of the international airport will kick-off Belize's third phase of re-opening, allowing for further travel relaxation and open entry for chartered flights, private aviation and limited re-opening of international leisure travel with approved hotels only.
Enhanced health and safety protocols for hotels were also approved by the Honourable Jose Manuel Heredia, Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation, which serve as the foundation for the destination's newest "Tourism Gold Standard" Recognition Program for hotels, restaurants and tour operators. This 9-point program seeks to enhance the tourism industry's health and safety standards by adapting new behaviors and procedures to ensure both employees and travellers are confident in the cleanliness and safety of Belize's tourism product. Some of these new standards include:
Although limited in scope, this phased approach allows for the industry to re-open responsibly, to test new entry protocols, and to allow for adjustments as necessary to ensure the wellbeing of Belizeans and visitors. As the country re-opens for travel, Belize wants to assure travellers and residents that hotels and restaurants will be cleaner and safer than ever before.
The Travel Journey
Travelers to Belize will be comforted to know that based on proper management and containment efforts applied during the height of the pandemic, Belize was able to enjoy over 50 days of a Covid-19 free environment. Ongoing efforts will offer vacation opportunities with minimal risk of contracting Covid-19 while in Belize. In addition, with Belize having such low population density and being just a short flight away from most major US cities, the destination is well poised for post-Covid-19 travel.
All travelers to Belize will be required to adhere to health and safety measures implemented by the Government of Belize (GOB) including social distancing, hand sanitization, proper hygiene and the wearing of face masks in public spaces.
Pre-Travel Arrangements
As a part of the pre-travel process, the passenger should start by booking their flight and hotel. Opening of hotels will be in a phased approach, and the first grouping of hotels that will be allowed to open include properties that:
Passengers are therefore encouraged to book Gold Standard approved hotels. A list of the Gold Standard approved hotels will be available at www.travelbelize.org in the coming weeks.
Entry Requirements
All visitors to Belize will be required to:
At the Airport
The Philip Goldson International Airport (PGIA) has implemented enhanced cleaning and sanitization protocols. These include:
Departure
Residents and visitors departing from Belize will also see new enhanced health and safety measures implemented. Some of these new measures include:
Preparation for the return of visitation via land borders and cruising are still underway and re-opening plans will be announced at a later date. The Government of Belize, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Tourism & Civil Aviation, and the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) continue to actively monitor this very fluid situation.
For the official Government Press Release please click here. To access the detailed health and safety protocols, we invite you to visit: https://belizetourismboard.org/belize-covid-19-update-for-travellers/. For questions or concerns, contact the Belize Tourism Board at [email protected]
View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/belize-announces-phased-re-opening-plan-for-tourism-301084517.html
SOURCE Belize Tourism Board