Belize Awaits: Preparing for Post-COVID Tourism

Ted Tejada joins us remotely via telephone to discuss how Belize has fared during the coronavirus pandemic and the efforts to prepare for visitors after our borders are reopened. Ted is the president of the Belize Hotel Association and general manager of the Belize Best Western Biltmore Plaza Hotel in Belize City. In this episode, he gives us some insight into how the tourism industry in Belize was caught off guard, just as the rest of the world, but how the country then took decisive action to mitigate the spread. Belize now ranks 5th globally as one of the most prepared countries in the world to lift its COVID-19 lockdown measures. As of this recording, Belize had recorded 18 cases, with only 2 active cases remaining. While the borders, including the airport, are still closed, the country continues to make post-COVID preparations. Ted gives us some insight into some of the policies and procedures being developed by different organizations in Belize such as the Belize Hotel Association, National Institute of Culture and History, Belize Airport Authority, and the Belize Tourism Board. A collective effort is being made throughout the country to put protocols and policies in place, with a phased reopening being planned. Ted reaffirms that Belize is a destination worth waiting for, and he assures us that everything possible is being done to ensure the safety of guests when tourism gets back on track.