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CHQR, the leading news talk radio in Calgary, Alberta, included a segment recently about Chabil Mar in Placencia, Belize. Featured as part of their Informed Traveler show, host Randy Sharman spoke with Larry France, the marketing manager of Chabil Mar resort.

France spoke about the origins of Chabil Mar, first opening its doors in November 2005. Designed as a luxury resort, Chabil Mar was, right from the beginning, dedicated not just to hosting visitors but also introducing them to the cultures and lifestyle found in Belize. As a traditional fishing region, Placencia, Belize, is still a laid-back, relaxed area where locals and visitors alike love to stroll along the beach.

The Placencia Peninsula is a north-south narrow strip of land that measures approximately 16 miles long and just half a mile wide. With the feel and atmosphere of an island, the peninsula serves as the gateway to the beautiful Caribbean Sea and the majesty of the Belize Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is the second-largest barrier reef in the world.

France was invited to Sharman’s popular travel show to discuss the recent announcement by low-cost carrier WestJet that it will be adding a brand new non-stop flight to Belize City from Calgary’s airport starting on November 3, 2017. The new route will be WestJet’s second Canada-Belize foray, having begun flying non-stop to Belize City from Toronto beginning in October 2016. Rival carrier Air Canada responded to WestJet’s success by adding its own Toronto-Belize flights that will begin on December 15, 2017.

“It was a true pleasure to be able to speak to Randy Sharman on the Informed Traveler show, introducing our resort to Albertans and residents of Western Canada who can now fly non-stop to Belize for the first time” said Larry France, marketing manager of Chabil Mar. “We look forward to welcoming Canadians to the beauty and wonder of Belize.”

The Informed Traveler is a weekly radio show on CHQR radio that also broadcasts on CKNW Newstalk 980 Vancouver. CHQR and CKNW are radio stations broadcasting on 770 owned by the Global News network, a division of Corus Entertainment, a company that owns 45 television channels and 39 radio stations in Canada as well as more than 38 media channels worldwide.

Chabil Mar is a multiple award-winning resort located on the Placencia Peninsula in southern Belize. A perennial TripAdvisor favorite, Chabil Mar has luxuriously appointed beachfront villas and is conveniently located near all of the top attractions in the country.

This week, the government of Belize announced the establishment of the first-ever nationwide ray sanctuary.

This new sanctuary was motivated by data from Global FinPrint scientists at Florida International University (FIU).

According to a press release from FIU, researchers deployed baited remote underwater videos (BRUVs) to monitor the abundance and distribution of sharks and rays, and surprisingly found thriving populations of rays after analyzing the hundreds of hours of video footage.

Around the world, rays are threatened with extinction due largely to over-fishing, habitat loss, and climate change and are even more at risk than sharks.

In Belize, more than 20 species of rays are known to populate the coast.

Global FinPrint researcher and FIU Ph.D. student Kathryn Flowers shared the find with officials from the Belize Fisheries Department.

“I was surprised to hear how threatened rays are globally and decided that Belize could be a good global citizen by protecting them,” said Belize Fisheries Administrator Beverly Wade. “Neighboring countries are exploiting rays, but here in Belize, rays are valuable to our tourism industry.”

Belize is home to the world’s second largest barrier reef with a diversity of rays ranging from tiny yellow round rays to large manta rays. The critically endangered small tooth sawfish and endangered Ticon cownose ray are also believed to be in Belize waters.

“Moving forward, we want to ensure that this remains a conservation success story,” Flowers said. “We will continue working with the Belize Fisheries Department to monitor populations of sharks and rays and engage in outreach with the local fishing and tourism communities.”

Global FinPrint is a three-year survey of reef sharks and rays throughout the world and is led by researchers from FIU in collaboration with Australia’s James Cook University, Curtin University and the Australian Institute of Marine Science, as well as Canada’s Dalhousie University. The project has received core funding from philanthropist Paul G. Allen and is one of several ocean health initiatives within the Microsoft co-founder’s portfolio.

“The establishment of new shark and ray sanctuaries such as this is exactly the reason we partnered with FIU to roll out the Global FinPrint surveys,” said James Deutsch, director of Biodiversity Conservation for Paul Allen. “We have been confident that data from Global FinPrint will catalyze conservation action to protect threatened shark and rays on coral reefs around the world.”

FIU scientists have become increasingly concerned about the vulnerable populations of sharks and rays around the world and especially in Belize, where Global FinPrint lead scientist and FIU professor Demian Chapman has worked for nearly two decades on shark conservation. Earthwatch Institute, the Roe Foundation, and the Mays Family Foundation have also contributed to these research programs.

Belize becomes the first country in the world to designate a sanctuary for rays.

The staff and management of the Chabil Mar warmly welcomes this news and applauds the government of Belize and the Belize Fisheries Department for taking steps in creating the first first-ever nationwide ray sanctuary.

Chabil Mar is firmly committed to the protection and conservation of Belize’s flora and fauna including the country’s pristine barrier reef. Chabil Mar offers guests the opportunity to visit the reef and enjoy activities such as snorkeling, sailing, and scuba diving.

On September 12, 2017, TravelPulse.com posted its list of the trendiest travel destinations to visit this autumn. One of the top destinations listed in the article was Belize, describing it as the country with the “world’s best dive sites.”

Belize was also favorably mentioned thanks to a growing interest in Maya culture. As the former heartland of the vast Maya civilization that stretched from El Salvador to Mexico, Belize is home to more ancient Maya sites than any other country in Central America, including Xunantunich where the world’s largest Maya royal tomb was discovered in 2016 and Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Cave, rated by the Discovery Channel as the world’s number one sacred cave, a vast underground labyrinth once used by Maya priests to sacrifice human beings.

Just a few decades ago, Belize was largely unknown to the outside world due to its remote location and limited access. Now, all four of the biggest airlines in the United States – Southwest, Delta, America, and United – offer non-stop flights to Belize. Canadians, too, are increasingly visiting Belize thanks to non-stop flights from Toronto and Calgary, making Belize attainable in just 2-5 hours’ flying time from major cities across North America.

Located in Central America just south of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, Belize is the only country in the region where English is the official language. This former British colony has a strong Caribbean vibe thanks to hundreds of miles of coastline as well as picturesque tropical islands along the Belize Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site home to the amazing dive sites mentioned in the TravelPulse.com article.

“As the weather begins to turn chilly in North America, we welcome all travelers to come visit Belize where it’s always warm and sunny,” said Larry France, marketing manager at Chabil Mar. “With beautiful offshore islands and a pristine mainland teeming with wildlife, there is truly something for everyone to do and see here in Belize.”

Chabil Mar is an award-winning luxury resort located on the golden shores of the Placencia Peninsula in southeastern Belize. With elegantly appointed villas, a lush tropical garden, onsite gourmet restaurant, and fully stocked bar, Chabil Mar is the perfect place to stay for trendy visitors wanting to experience the best that Belize has to offer.

TravelPulse.com is part of the travAlliancemedia group, one of the world’s largest multi-channel travel information companies. For more than 10 years, travAlliancemedia has delivered personalized travel news and content to millions of people around the world.

Chabil Mar is currently offering several special offers for travelers who visit Belize this fall.

For more information about visiting Belize this fall, feel free to chat with our Concierge at: concierge@chabilmarvillas.com or contact our Reservations Manager at: reservations@chabilmarvillas.com. Or perhaps you would like to call toll free from the US or Canada: 1-866-417-2377.