Background Information

The Placencia Peninsula, encompassing the communities of Riversdale, Maya Beach, Seine Bight and Placencia is one of Belize's prime tourist destinations providing ready access to marine reserves and with substantial beach frontage. The beach and related marine activities, small-scale village atmosphere, and Creole and Garifuna cultures are among the main tourist attractions in the area. The unique sidewalk in Placencia Village leading to Placencia Point is the focus of small scale locally owned tourism activities.

The Placencia Peninsula is one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in Belize and boasts the highest recorded length of stay from overnight visitors in the country Of the main tourism destinations in the country (Cayo, Ambergris Caye and Belize City), Placencia has experienced the greatest growth in hotel rooms over the past 9 years, and residential and tourism development is ongoing in conjunction with necessary infrastructural improvements. Paving of the main Placencia road which runs the entire length of the peninsula is scheduled for completion in 2010 and preparations are underway for the construction of an international Placencia airport.

The Destination Management Plan for Placencia calls for maintaining the small scale, family orientated character of the village, targeting the "simple luxury" accommodation market, while reducing risks associated with it's highly vulnerable coastal location.

STP INVESTMENT:

Component 1
The STP will provide funding for the design and construction of a multipurpose municipal pier and low density shoreline plaza development at Placencia Point.

Component 2
The STP will finance the development of a Disaster Risk Management Plan for the peninsula with a view to avoiding damages associated with flooding and breaching of the peninsula in addition to a Tourism Development Plan.