Belize. What else could one possibly write about except for its glorious tourism industry that pulls in thousands upon thousands of people a year? But what sort of tourist industry is the one in Belize?
With only a fraction of the country’s budget going to marketing, many people may find it difficult to even know where the country is located, much less what it has to offer. Other than more tropical beaches and palm trees, what does Belize have to offer? After doing a bit of research, the best I could come up with was some sort of publicity stunt to get people to travel to Belize to see the Mayan ruins. Something to do with the end of the world being upon us at the close of 2012. What happened to going green?
Apparently “Costa Rica has long owned the ‘green,’ eco-friendly niche” (Stevenson, 2012) though I am not even sure what that means. Has being eco-friendly become such a fad that it is thought to be more of a publicity stunt than an actual way of life? Have we started to lose touch with the entire heart of the matter (aka: being kind to our planet) that people, companies and even countries can call dibs on the green label as though it is something owned? It would be a shame to think that Belize actually backs away from pursuing eco-related endeavors simply because Costa Rica has already done so well at it.
It almost seems as though there is this trend with eco-tourism that promotion managers are getting bored with advertising “green” products. As though they are old news and they’re waiting on the next best thing. The thing is – there isn’t anything “better” than going green. How can one be getting bored with a way of life that benefits everything it touches?
As it is, Belize is sitting with a very small budget to use towards marketing for tourism and that is what is hindering people from coming. If they don’t know about it – they won’t know to come. However, the irony is that those looking for a “green” destination aren’t looking for the flashiest ads on the television. They’re generally looking for something that’s true and down to earth. Something green. Definitely not a “Come visit us before the end of the world” campaign.
Bibliography
Stevenson, S. (2012, April 16). Apocalypse Tourism. Retrieved April 22, 2012, from Slate: http://www.slate.com/articles/business/branded/2012/04/belize_tourism_the_country_s_strange_new_strategy_to_lure_visitors_.html