Category: Belize Resort and Vacation Blog

Photos by secretlondon123 & majcher on Flickr

At the recent International Marine Conservation Congress held in Canada, experts discussed how the waters of Belize may soon be able to offer new opportunities for locals to make money. The topic being discussed by Julianne Robinson of The Nature Conservancy was seaweed mariculture.

Fishing has been an integral component of the Belizean economy for centuries. Even today, many locals in coastal communities of Belize depend on fishing both for their livelihoods and as a source of food. Climate change, overfishing, destructive fishing practices, and other factors have resulted in the recent decline in fisheries in Belize that many local communities depend on. As fisheries decline, local fishermen have been seeking new avenues of income.

Ms. Robinson spoke about how The Nature Conservancy has been working jointly with the Placencia Fishermen Cooperative in Belize in order to conduct pilot tests on mariculture farms. While many options are being currently explored, the most promising result so far has been growing red seaweed with the Latin name Euchemia isiforme.

See also: Belize Is An Angler’s Paradise

Growing seaweed is beneficial for a number of reasons. For one, the harvesting process is not dissimilar from fishing. Many of Belize’s local fishermen already include seaweed harvesting as a byproduct of fishing for queen conch and spiny lobster that like to cluster where seaweed grows. The collected seaweed is already being sold in local markets. Seaweed is used in Belize as a food item (including in the popular seaweed “shakes” drinks) but the challenge is to find additional uses for the seaweed such as a cooking thickener (similar to starch) or as an ingredient in soap making.

Growing seaweed has a number of benefits for the marine environment, including the restoration of nitrogen and phosphorous levels in the water. The seaweed also serves as a preferred habitat for the valuable queen conch and spiny lobster.

“We welcome this exciting development,” said Larry France, marketing manager of Chabil Mar. “We believe this is a really special opportunity to diversify income opportunities for traditional fishing communities while also helping to preserve fishing stocks, something that will benefit both tourists and locals alike.”

Local demand for red seaweed is high and expected to grow. Beyond the local economy, global demand for seaweed is increasing at about 10% per year, potentially opening lucrative and sustainable jobs for Belizean fishermen. The challenge moving forward will be to scale up production of the seaweed and to better develop overseas markets.

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The popular low-cost carrier WestJet has announced that they will be offering non-stop service from Toronto Pearson International Airport to the Philip Goldson International Airport in Belize City beginning October 29, 2016. The announcement marks the first time that Canada will enjoy non-stop service to the popular vacation destination in Central America. The new WestJet flights will be offered twice a week departing at 9:15 AM and arriving in Belize City at 11:59 AM. Introductory fares are set to start as low as $267 CAD one-way from Toronto to Belize.

The Belize Tourism Board reacted favorably to the WestJet announcement. “Canada is one of the strongest source markets for visitors coming into Belize, so we are thrilled by the announcement of the new non-stop service,” said Karen Bevans, Director of Tourism for Belize. “We warmly welcome this new entry into the increasingly popular market. With more international carriers that add routes into Belize, more opportunities will open up to allow international visitors to experience the charm, beauty, and laid-back friendly vibe that makes Belize so special.”

WestJet’s announcement comes on the back of similar announcements from Southwest about new non-stop service from Denver to Belize City and American about direct service from London (UK) to Belize City beginning next year.

Chabil Mar on the Placencia Peninsula offers guests the chance to experience one of the most beautiful locations in Belize. With well-appointed villas, an infinity pool, a lush tropical garden, and one of the finest restaurants in the country on site, Chabil Mar is an oasis of luxurious tranquility with an unforgettable beachside view of the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea.

Just minutes’ away by foot from Placencia Village, Chabil Mar is ideally situated for excursions to the most popular destinations in Belize, including the Maya ruins of Xunantunich, the Cockscomb Basin Nature Reserve, eco-tours up the Monkey River, and the lovely Belize Barrier Reef that is world-renowned for its snorkeling, scuba diving, kayaking, swimming, and fishing opportunities.

The management of Chabil Mar welcomes the recent announcement by WestJet and looks forward to welcoming Canadians to experience the many wonders that Belize has to offer.

Responding to the burgeoning popularity of vacationing in the Central American paradise of Belize, Southwest has announced that they will be offering non-stop service from Denver to Belize City in 2017.

More than 13,000 Denver area residents traveled to Belize last year. The new non-stop service from Denver to Belize City will begin on a trial basis with Saturday flights between March 11 and April 22, 2017. Since 2015, Southwest has been operating non-stop service to Belize City from its hub in Houston’s Hobby Airport. Should the new Denver-Belize City routes prove to be popular, Southwest has stated that it will add more service.

Thanks to its pristine landscapes and more than a third of the country set aside as protected parks or nature reserves, Belize offers visitors a chance to enjoy a truly unique eco-friendly tourism experience. With more than 180 miles of coastline on the Caribbean that are just a short distance from the Belize Barrier Reef, part of a UNESCO World Heritage site that is one of the most bio-diverse ecosystems on the planet, Belize has increasingly become popular with visitors who want to explore an unspoiled marine paradise, an ideal setting for swimming, snorkeling, sailing and scuba diving.

“Last year, Belize saw a huge increase in tourism numbers,” said Larry France, the marketing manager of the Chabil Mar resort in Placencia, Belize. “And now we’re starting to see the airlines respond. First, American Airlines announced that they will be offering service from London to Belize and now Southwest has announced that it will be flying non-stop from Denver. We look forward to welcoming even greater numbers of visitors to our wonderful country.”

Chabil Mar is an award-winning resort on the beautiful Placencia Peninsula on the coast of southeastern Belize. The Placencia Peninsula is one of the top visitor destinations in the country, world-renowned for its beautiful beaches and close proximity to both the Belize Barrier Reef and the Cockscomb Nature Preserve on the mainland. Chabil Mar features beachfront villas and offers guests comprehensive jungle and sea packages to all of the top destinations in the country.

At the 2016 summer Olympic games scheduled to begin shortly in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the nation of Belize will be represented by three athletes. The Belize National Olympic Committee has announced that Brandon Jones will compete in the 200-meter race, Katy Sealy in the 100-meter hurdles and Renick James in the 90-kilogram weight class of Judo. Brandon Jones has been selected for the honor of carrying the flag for the Belize delegation at the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games that start at 5:00 PM local time on August 5, 2016.

Archeologists working at the Maya ruin site of Xunantunich in Cayo District have unearthed what may be the biggest tomb ever found in Belize. Discovered underneath one of the central buildings at the site, the tomb contains the undisturbed remains of an adult male estimated to be in his 20s or 30s buried alongside a number of ceremonial items, including four obsidian blades, vases, pots, and the remains of what archeologists believe is either a jaguar or a deer.

While work is still ongoing at the site, archeologists have given a preliminary date for the tomb, estimating it to have been built in the Late Classic Period (roughly 700 to 1000 AD). Dr. Jaime Awe, the lead archeologist at the site, spoke to the media about the discovery of what he believes to be the tomb of a Maya ruler and has installed a Plexiglas window so that tourists can view the newly-discovered remains.

After being abandoned some time during the end of the post-Classical period, the site of Xunantunich was rediscovered in the late 19th century when Belize was a British colony. Thomas Gann, the district commissioner of Cayo District, began excavations at the site, which was given the name Xunantunich, a Maya name which means “Stone Woman”. Since 1892, visitors to the site have reported seeing a woman dressed entirely in white with glowing eyes that haunts the temple known as “El Castillo” (The Castle).

Xunantunich has been excavated almost continuously since the late 19th century but this month’s discovery by archeologist Dr. Jaime Awe is the very first tomb ever found at the site. The central core of Xunantunich measures more than a square mile (2.6 km2) and archeologists have already excavated more than 26 buildings. The most photographed feature at Xunantunich is “El Castillo”, a large pyramid at the center of the site that is covered in stucco friezes depicting important stories from Maya mythology.

Chabil Mar & Xunantunich

The lovely Chabil Mar resort on the Placencia Peninsula is close to all of the most exciting mainland destinations in Belize. Guests of the resort can include a visit to Xunantunich as part of one of Chabil Mar’s fantastic Belize Reef & Jungle vacation packages.