Cruise tourism in Belize remains significantly below pre-pandemic levels, with cruise ship calls and passenger arrivals as of September 2024 showing a marked decline compared to the same period in 2019, signaling a slower-than-expected recovery.
In 2019, Belize's ports experienced bustling cruise activity, with a total of 278 ship calls across Fort Street Tourism Village (FSTV) and Harvest Caye (HC) by the end of September. January of that year alone saw 58 ship calls, and passenger arrivals peaked at over 165,000.
In comparison, January to September 2024 recorded only 210 total ship calls, a sharp decline from the same timeframe in 2019. By September, the number of ship calls had dropped to seven—all at FSTV and half of what was recorded in 2019.
Passenger arrivals tell a similar story. January 2024 recorded 135,272 arrivals, with 89,639 registed at FSTV and 45,633 at HC. This figure fell short of January 2019, which had 165,885 arrivals. The total arrivals by September 2024 dropped to just 21,383, roughly half of what was seen in 2019.
Belize’s tourism authorities and stakeholders are likely focusing on revitalizing cruise tourism to pre-pandemic levels, working to boost the country’s attractiveness as a prime destination. This is a point that Minister of State in Ministry of Finance Christopher Coye made to the Senate Select Committee earlier this year. At the time, he warned that without the construction of a modern cruise port, Belize risks losing its position as a cruise destination, stating, “the ships and their passengers will just pass us by.”
As of now, the data highlights a cautious recovery for Belize’s cruise sector, which, despite seeing some improvement in the post-pandemic environment, remains well below its previous highs.
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