On March 11, 2026, Belize launched a new sustainable plan focused on conservation and tourism. This is a partnership between the Belize Tourism Board and the Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT). The plan strengthens commitment to sustainable tourism and protected area management.
The Protected Area Tourism Enhancement Program aims to enhance the visitor experience while supporting conservation efforts and community development within the country’s protected areas. At launch, the program's first funding cohort, consisting of three organizations, was introduced.
The projects were selected by a committee composed of representatives from BTB, PACT, the Ministry of Tourism, Youth, Sports and Diaspora Relations and the National Biodiversity Office. The project owners are Belize Karst Habitat Conservation, Turnev Atoll Sustainability Society and the Belize Audubon Society.
Sustainable conservation and tourism projects
The first projects will support tourism development and conservation in Belize:
- Belize Karst Habitat Conservation (BKHC): Implement the Qianchi Waterfall tourism improvement project. It includes road upgrades, the installation of solar systems and the refurbishment of mixed-use buildings.
- Turnef Atoll Sustainable Development Association (TASA): Development of sustainable tourism and conservation – Tenev Atoll Project. It includes the construction of a new dock, shaded seating areas, an observation tower, a gift shop and a ranger outpost equipped with radar technology.
- Belize Audubon Society (BAS): Implementing sustainable tourism and community development projects in St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park. It includes trail and cave passage restoration, parking and facility upgrades, and cave tourism training.
Dear. Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Solid Waste Management, praised the partnership. He said this “reflects a shared national understanding that sustainable tourism relies on healthy ecosystems, which in turn rely on continued investment and management.”
