FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 19, 2011

Cultural Tourism Capacity Building Project Launched

Cultural Tourism, whereby visitors seek experiential learning and enrichment through their interactions with the local host cultures, has emerged as a major tourism market. It is characterized by visitors who spend more, travel more frequently and stay longer than other tourist types. The recently completed National Sustainable Tourism Master plan recommends the development of cultural tourism in almost all destinations within Belize, identifying cultural tourism as a priority product and key tourist attractor.

The Ministry of Tourism Civil Aviation and Culture, Belize Tourism Board, NICH and Beltraide have partnered to address some of the challenges of developing cultural tourism in Belize, particularly in some of the emerging destinations. Under the Sustainable Tourism Program, funded through IDB and Government of Belize, a contract for US$136, 250 has recently been awarded to Small Planet Consulting, and the Aboriginal Tourism Association of British Colombia (AtBC) for technical assistance.

Both Small Planet and AtBC are seasoned in developing authentic cultural tourism and determining how culture can be manifested and infused into the tourism experience in the most effective and respectful manner. Keith Henry, Chief Executive Officer and Cheryl Chapman, Training and Product Development Manager of AtBC state that "The Aboriginal Tourism Association of British Columbia is honoured to partner in this project. We believe that AtBC is a world leader in authentic Aboriginal cultural tourism and our practical approach to supporting individual and community capacity, product, and marketing development will set a strong foundation for future growth in the world’s indigenous tourism industry."

Following a needs assessment study, the focus of the project will be on the development and delivery of cultural tourism training, capacity building, and networking initiatives in 3 destinations in Belize. Key to the delivery of the training will be a "train‐the‐trainer" curriculum and tools to transfer skills to the BTB and partner agencies for future programs in other destinations. The training will ultimately be linked to a matching grant program and award competition that will provide financial assistance towards the development of specific cultural tourism initiatives.

Energized from a fact‐finding 2 week field trip, Team leader Judy Karwacki, President, Small Planet Consulting says "It is an honour for our team to be working with the Belize Sustainable Tourism Program to enhance and develop Garifuna, Kriole and Maya cultural tourism. Belize is well‐positioned to attract the worldwide cultural travel market and this project is for the true betterment of the destination as well as the traveler."

Funding for the US$15million Sustainable Tourism Program is provided by the Government of Belize through an IDB loan, and from the Belize Tourism Board. For more information about the program please contact the Project Coordinating Unit at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit the STP website www.sustainabletourismbz.org.