Belize

The Belize Tourism Board is proud to announce that Air Canada will resume flights to Belize from Toronto, Canada, starting 4th December 2022. The airline will offer nonstop seasonal service from Toronto on Sundays, then twice weekly in March 2023, using an Airbus A220-300.

The San Pedro Roman Catholic Church observed the Dia de San Pedro on June 29th with several religious activities, including a celebration honoring Father Eduardo Montemayor’s 20 years as a priest. A special program was held at the Angel Nuñez Auditorium, where Father Montemayor was honored for his service over the past two decades. The event also saw several community and church members awarded.

Fisher and the public are encouraged to follow the Lobster Fishery regulation: 1. Minimum carapace length is 3 inches 2. Minimum tail weight is 4 ounces 3. It is illegal to have in possession any soft shell (molting) lobster or female with eggs (berried) 4. It is illegal to remove from any female lobster any eggs or spawn or the setae or fibre to with any eggs or spawn attached. 5. No person persons establishment should have in possession fillet or diced tail.

On Tuesday, June 28, the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), with funding support from the European Union (EU), hosted an inaugural meeting with key stakeholders to strengthen Climate Resilient Health Systems in Belize. In collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MoHW), the goal is to develop a comprehensive health chapter in the National Adaptation Plan (H-NAP).

Following the festivities held by the San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) over the weekend featuring the Miss San Pedro Pageant and performances involving international entertainers, the island’s Roman Catholic Church hosted their religious activities starting on Tuesday, June 28th with a youth vigil and concert. On Wednesday, the traditional fishermen’s mass was followed by a boat procession that ended on the lagoon side of the island, where Father Eduardo Montemayor prayed and blessed all the fishing vessels.

Mexico's Secretary of Tourism Miguel Turruco Marques is on an official visit to Belize, holding meetings with his counterparts within the Government of Belize. Marques and his delegation had their first encounter in bilateral talks on Monday, June 27th, to deepen tourism cooperation between Mexico and Belize. They held a press conference in Belize City to discuss the details of their visit following meetings with Belize Minister of Tourism Honourable Anthony Mahler and Minister of Transport the Honourable Rodwell Ferguson.

Police are investigating an incident on Monday, June 27th, at the home of business owner 52-year-old Elsa Odina Poot in the San Mateo subdivision north of San Pedro Town. The situation has been described by police as '\Aggravated Burglary/Aggravated Assault, as Poot's son-in-law Justin Campos and another person broke the house's front door and pointed a firearm at her.

As the rainy season is upon Belize and the region, the issue of mosquitoes is becoming a concern in San Pedro Town. To address the situation, the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the San Pedro Town Council has started fumigating twice a week in different parts of town. Islanders are advised to keep their areas/yards clean to minimize possible breeding areas for mosquitoes.

Unlike other years, when Dia de San Pedro was more of a religious celebration, this year took a different twist featuring the Miss San Pedro Pageant along with international DJ Osocity and Mexican singer Pedro Fernandez. A large Mariachi band from Mexico City accompanied Fernandez and delighted hundreds of islanders on the festival’s closing night.

The island’s female football team, the San Pedro Pirates, overcame Jewel Fury 2-1 in the first leg of the National Amateur Women’s League semi-finals on Saturday, June 25th, at the Ambergris Stadium.

For a second time, Hicaqueña Seleny Villanueva-Pott was elected as Chairlady following the Village Council elections on Sunday, June 26th in Caye Caulker. She is the first female to be re-elected to such a post in her village. Pott has been in the Caye Caulker Village Council since 2016 when she first served as the Vice-Chair.

The Government of Belize through the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise is now poised to transform its food systems using an evidence-based and extensive assessment completed earlier this year. The Belize Food Systems Profile: Catalysing the Sustainable and Inclusive Transformation of Food Systems document was formally handed over to the Government of Belize during a ceremony at the Yo Creek Agriculture Station on June 22, 2022.

The Ministry of Health & Wellness is pleased to announce the reopening of the Acute Psychiatric Unit, which was closed due to multiple challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), the CARICOM institution designated as the region’s intergovernmental organization responsible for fisheries development and management, is partnering with Norway, with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Blue Resilience Project, to host a high-level side event addressing organized crime in the global fisheries industry at the UN Oceans Conference 2022. The side event will be held in Lisbon, Portugal, on Wednesday, 29 June.

On Friday, June 24th, during the festivities of Dia de San Pedro, the island elected its new beauty ambassador. 20-year-old Faith Edgar, sponsored by Captain Shark's and Marina, was selected as Miss San Pedro 2022-2023. Following the pageant, international DJ Osocity and a host of Belizean entertainers like DJ Dalla, DJ Bigz, Cloud 9, and DJ Shyfta delighted the hundreds of attendees with an after-party.

The Belize Fisheries Department held a National Spiny Lobster Stock Assessment Workshop from June 20–24, 2022 in Belize City in partnership with Environmental Defense Fund and with expert support from Cuba’s Centro de Investigaciones Pesqueras (CIP)/ Center for Fisheries Research). The workshop convened scientists, fishery managers, and other stakeholders to conduct a scientific assessment of the spiny lobster population in Belize to inform the sustainable management of the lobster fishery.

Current Caye Caulker Chairlady Seleny Villanueva-Pott clarified the allegations that her administration has not been performing adequately, particularly in properly reconciling village funds. According to a letter dated April 6, 2022, from the Ministry of Rural Transformation, Community Development, Labor, and Local Government, the Caye Caulker Village Council was urged to comply fully with its […]