Background Information

Hopkins Village, stretches along nearly 5 miles of sandy beach within a shallow, gently curving inlet in the Stann Creek District. Traditionally a fishing community, it is home to roughly 1,200 Garinagu. The village itself is small, friendly, and rich with Garifuna heritage. Only recently inducted onto the tourist circuit, development of some of Belize's more upscale resorts, condominiums and villas is occurring to the north and south of the town.

The road connecting the village to the Southern Highway passes through an area of marshland attractive to birders, with easy access to inland natural attractions such as Cockscomb Jaguar Preserve and Mayflower Bocawina National Park. The village is only 8 miles from the district capital, Dangriga which is labeled the "Culture Capital" and building a tourism product around its Garifuna heritage and cultural events.

In 2001 the Garifuna culture was proclaimed as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, and there are ongoing global efforts to preserve, promote and nurture the Garifuna language and cultural elements of music and dance. The drums and melodies of traditional Garifuna music is also the basis for Belize's signature music style: the popular "Punta Rock".

Toledo and it's capital Punta Gorda Town (PG) considers itself the country’s ecotourism destination and several projects in and around the town support that claim. Visitors are attracted by the Mayan villages and Archaeological Sites, natural forests, and the offshore cayes and marine reserves which are easily accessible from PG town. In 2007 Toledo inaugurated its annual Cacao Festival, which now features prominently on the tourism events calendar for the district, centered on the successful cultivation of organically grown cacao beans by individual farmers and Maya communities throughout the district for the production of the internationally marketed Maya Gold chocolate.

In 2008, stakeholders crafted a ten year Responsible Tourism Policy for Toledo based on a Vision of making "Toledo a one of a kind responsible tourism destination and a better place to live in recognizing that it is the interaction between guests and hosts in a safe, secure and enjoyable environment that is most valuable." The focus of this plan in the short and medium term is on capacity building activities and promotion.

STP INVESTMENT:

STP intends to promote tourist access to the Maya and Garifuna cultures in the emerging destinations reinforcing incipient tourism circuits and attracting private sector investment with a focus on capacity building and promotion.

Current Project Status:

Definition of the capacity building component is scheduled to begin in March 2010