BELIZE INVESTMENT CLIMATE ASSESSMENT STORY MAP

A sound investment climate is key for the promotion of economic growth in Belize. The Government of Belize, over the last fifteen years, has been paving the way to attract foreign and local investments in order to realize successful economic development. The encouragement of such investments; particularly, in the tourism industry are related to supporting factors such as accessibility and convenient infrastructure. A destination with an abundance of core resources and attractions that lack the adequate supporting resources may find it very difficult to develop its tourism industry. Therefore, careful planning and management is required to ensure a proper balance between tourism growth and the development of infrastructure and other facilitating resources.

Investment climate environments are generally seen as having Macroeconomic, Governance and Infrastructure features that can affect and constrain investment activities and profits. These major or minor features need to be evaluated in order to analyze its influence and to determine whether or not capital should be put into a specific destination. The focus of Ministry’s Belize Investment Climate Assessment Report is on the country’s fundamental infrastructure (sewage and waste, reliable and potable water, electricity, communication) and accessibility (road, air and sea connectivity, entry visa, route connections, airport hubs, competition among carriers) as a determinants of whether a travel and tourism investment will pay off, sustain growth for the economy and attract or stop flows of investment in Belize The results of the assessment enforced that in order to enhance positive sustainable impacts from tourism, Belize must be entirely equipped with the basic infrastructure and supporting services. There is a need to strengthen the management and upgrading of existing systems especially in tourism destinations (urban and rural) throughout the country to manage current capacity and the future increase in citizens and tourist.