Belize Tourism Industry Association celebrates 35th AGM virtually

Published by BBN Staff at December 4, 2020

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Posted: Friday, December 4, 2020. 1:34 pm CST.

By BBN Staff: On Thursday, December 3, 2020, the Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA) celebrated its 35^th Annual General Meeting (AGM).

The AGM began with outgoing President Melanie Paz presenting the highlights of the targeted accomplishments for 2019/20 to members and guests.

“The road ahead is going to be rough, but we will prosper. The Executive Committee have all committed to working even harder to revive our industry. We are pleased that we have established open communications with both Minister Anthony Mahler and CEO Nicole Solano in the Ministry of Tourism and Diaspora Relations,” Paz said.

Taiwan Ambassador to Belize, Remus Li-kuo Chen, honored the BTIA by delivering an inspirational message about the current challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and the importance of focus on adequate management and containment of the virus.

“Going forward, it’s foreseeable that pandemic prevention will become a new normal of our daily lives. As long as we have fully prepared ourselves, we should never feel pessimistic. We strongly believe that a new record for world tourism will certainly be set soon after the pandemic subsides,” Ambassador Chen said.

The minutes of the 2019 AGM were adopted along with the audited financial report for the Fiscal Year 2019/20.

The Minister of Tourism and Diaspora Relations, Anthony Mahler was the keynote speaker.

In his presentation, Mahler outlined the tourism sector’s status and some of the tools and strategies that will form the basis of the tourism sector recovery plan.

“From a wide-angle point of view, I can say that collaborative destination management is a must. I can say that we must engage in a ‘Quality’ over ‘Quantity’ approach. We need to focus on building our resilience to all threats, whether exogenous or local. We must ensure that the contribution of tourism to our economy, environment, and society are properly valued, and in doing so, we must redefine how we as an industry measure our success. Only through these fundamental actions can we forge an industry that will be equitable and viable for the foreseeable future and beyond,” Mahler expressed.

The BTIA also elected a new executive committee for the period 2021/22.

Elections were held for the posts of President, 1st Vice President, and Secretary.

By acclamation, Stewart Krohn was elected to serve as President, Tamara Sniffin will continue as 1^st Vice President, and Tanya Silva will continue as Secretary.

The BTIA Executive Committee for 2021 is composed as follows:

President Stewart Krohn

1^st Vice-President Tamara Sniffin

2^nd Vice-President Osmany Salas

Treasurer Raineldo Guerrero

Secretary Tanya Silva

Past President Melanie Paz

The newly elected President of the BTIA, Stewart Krohn, spoke of the challenges that face the tourism industry and the nation as a whole.

Krohn remarked, “Our industry is resilient, as is our country. We are no strangers to adversity. Belize will come back…but only if we work hard and work smart—and above all work together.”

The BTIA expressed gratitude to its members for their unrelenting support as the association continue to represent the tourism industry’s best interests.

The BTIA thanked the Taiwan Embassy for sponsoring this year’s Annual General Meeting.

“The BTIA looks forward to strengthening our partnership with the government in the recovery of our tourism industry,” a statement expressed.

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