belize

media type="custom" key="23663222" align="right"north america / Belize
related: Belize Links, Central America flickrgroup: [|North American Ecotourism] flickr: [|belize] slideshare: [|proverbs] editing: [|Belize]

The Central American country of Belize is located south of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula and is bordered by Caribbean to the east and Guatemala to the south/southwest. The population is about 300,000.

World Travel Directory
[|Beyond Touring] - [|@BeyondTouring]

Headlines
http://www.ijreview.com/2015/04/288825-environmentalists-none-happy-leonardo-dicaprios-planned-eco-resort/ [|The case against mass cruise ship tourism in Belize] [|Indigenous Peoples in Belize Demand FPIC] [|Victory! Offshore Oil Drilling Stopped in Belize]

Current Time
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Flickr
[|icrtbelize] [|Toledo, Belize: Mayan Village Homestay and Chocolate Tour] [|Belize - Joshua Berman] [|Belize - Fernando Aguinaco] [|Rolson's Cocina]

Flickr Groups
[|Belize] [|Real Belize] [|Wild Belize] [|Biodiversity of Central America / Biodiversidad de Centroamerica] [|Re-Imagining North American Ecotourism]

Twitter
[|@BeyondTouring] [|@belizevacation] [|@trphoto]

rss

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slideshare
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Wiki
Belize Links Belize Responsible Tourism Conference Central America

Tourism Portals
[|Belize for visitors] - [|@belizevacation]

Government
[|Belize government]

Facebook
[|Beyond Touring] [|ICRT Belize] [|I love Belize] [|Tony Rath Photography] [|Rolsons]

Editing
[|Belize] [|Belize City]



CORRECTIONS

 * Attention** editors - The following comments are corrections to be incorporated onto Planeta.com. If you spot anything on Planeta that should be updated, feel free to copy and paste text here and make the necessary edits.

[|Stewart Krohn writes from Cocoplum]

Belize has a simple monetary exchange rate: 2 Belizean dollars = 1 U.S. Dollar

Biodiversity http://biological-diversity.info/species-list.htm

2010 Cruise Ship Viability Report http://www.placencia.com/BELIZE%20CRUISE%20VIABILITY%20REPORT_2011.pdf

Belize City

[|Poustinia Land Art Park] is an environmental project, in which nature interacts and develops, simultaneously. Poustinia was once a sprawling, eco-insensitive cattle ranch called El Dorado, where trees were cut and hills leveled to produce flat land for grazing.

guidebooks rough guide - Peter's book is the best and most comprehensive guidebook to Belize because he had such a passion for the country and visited it so regularly. He cared deeply about Belize and its people and was always keen to support local businesses. He was also something of an obsessive, which meant that he left no stone unturned in his quest to write absolutely the best guidebook to Belize: his book was by far the most detailed and informed on the country, and it was his life's work to keep it that way. He even sold the book direct to a number of suppliers in Belize itself – unusual for any author, but natural to an energetic evangelist (for both the country and his own book) like Peter. - [|Martin Dunford]

San Pedro
[| 6.5 Million Dollar Boost for San Pedro Tourism] http://www.sustainabletourismbz.org http://www.sanpedrosun.com

Over 6.5 million dollars will be invested in a modern Boardwalk stretching more than 2000 linear feet along the lagoon waterfront on the west side of town, in addition to a new Municipal Pier and Water Taxi Terminal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Pedro_Town

PR http://www.belizemediacenter.org

flights Guatemala City, Cancun, San Pedro Sula

Population: 300,000

Things to do
Visit the Botanical Gardens - [|Belize Botanic Gardens] boasts 45 acres of native and exotic plants growing in the Cayo district of western Belize. The garden is 10 miles from San Ignacio an lies in a valley on the banks of the Macal River surrounded by the Maya Mountain foothills. The shuttle includes entrance and a self-guided tour booklet. [|map]

Transportation
International flights arrive at Philip Goldson International Airport (PGIA) in Ladyville, 10 miles from Belize City.

Belize depends on tourism as its primary economic engine. The country receives nearly 300,000 overnight visitors each year and 700,000 cruise passengers and is experiencing rapid coastal development for second homes.

Reef

In 2009 the Belize Barrier Reef was moved to the World Heritage’s list of endangered sites due to concerns about mangrove cutting and excessive development.

UN Foundation Commits to Supporting Conservation of Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System
At the ongoing 33rd World Heritage Committee meeting in Seville, Spain, the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System has been added to the “List of World Heritage in Danger” due, in particular, to unsustainable tourism activities. The following is a statement by Erika Harms on the decision: “The preservation of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System is critical to both its marine inhabitants and the local communities that depend on the site for their livelihoods. In light of the Committee’s decision, we recommit ourselves to support long-term solutions to the conservation challenges in the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System World Heritage site."

Quotes
Belize is not on the way to or from anywhere else. - Aldous Huxley

In Q’eqchi’, there are no words for “Good morning,” “good afternoon,” or “good evening.” You simply use the standard greeting, Ma sa sa’ laa ch’ool (mah sah sah laa ch’ohl), literally, “Is there happiness in your heart?” (In Q’eqchi’ however, you wouldn’t use a question mark because the “Ma” indicates a question.) A proper response would be “Sa in ch’ool” (sah een ch’ohl), “Yes, my heart is happy.” - Joshua Berman

Toledo Ecotourism Association http://www.teabelize.org https://www.facebook.com/pages/Toledo-Ecotourism-Association-of-Belize/289440427785781

[|Belize Audubon Society]

Misc
What we'd like to see: On top of our wishlist for Belize is follow-up to the responsible tourism conference. Exactly how is the country putting into practice the noble words of the declaration? We also hope entrepreneurs and community leaders use the tips featured in the [|Storytelling Now] so that we can hear about Belize from local experts. One encouraging sign is the development of a Flickr gallery by the owners of the place I stayed, [|Rolson's]. Can the Toledo Cacaofest put something online similar to the [|Mayan Village Homestay and Chocolate Tour] ? Belize isn't missing natural or cultural splendor. It's only missing natural storytelling.

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