Contact: Jana Puga Media & Public Relations Officer Belize Tourism Board E-mail:  jpuga@travelbelize.org Contact: 227-2420 Website: www.travelbelize.org

Launch: Discover How To Be A Belizean Traveller

Belize City, Belize – July 7, 2015 – July marks the beginning of the Belize Tourism Board’s local ad campaign launch. The theme of the campaign is “Discover How To Be A Belizean Traveller.” This campaign is centered on getting Belizeans to travel locally and to promote the regional icons, which were developed as a part of our rebranding. The objectives of the campaign are:

1. To encourage Belizeans, living in the country, to travel locally in order to keep our dollars at home and promote local businesses

2. Sensitization of the regional icons 3. Get local industry partners on board to facilitate locals travelling to various destinations

countrywide. Marketing & Public Relations Manager, Noriko Gamero, commented, “We hope that this campaign will show the Belizeans that there is no need to go anywhere else on vacation, when an unforgettable experience awaits you in your own backyard. To make this affordable, BTB embarked on a partnership with stakeholders and developed the PROMO CODE to offer bargain package deals to Belizean Travellers.” The campaign is being carried out through 6 months (July 2015 – December 2015). Each month, a new region with its icon will be presented to the public, through newspaper ads, radio ads, billboards and TV ads.

You will also witness BTB’s presence at most major festivals country-wide. Interactive cutouts and frames have been developed for everyone to take pictures and hashtag #BelizeanTraveller. While travelling around Belize, we encourage everyone to take pictures of their adventures and use the hashtag to share with others through social medium outlets such as Facebook, Instagram, Vine, and Pinterest. Also, we recommend keeping an eye out for our newspaper ads that will publicize the Promo Code packages for Belizeans to begin planning a vacation with family, adventure with friends or a romantic getaway. 2016 will start off a series of exciting competitions. Stay tuned! For more information on this campaign, please contact Noriko Gamero, ngamero@travelbelize.org. -­‐-­‐  About  the  Belize  Tourism  Board  The  Belize  Tourism  Board  (BTB)  is  a  statutory  body  within  the  Belize  Ministry  of  Tourism,    Culture  and  Civil  Aviation,  and  it  is  governed  by  a  Board  of  Directors  appointed  by  the  Minister  of  Tourism,    Culture  and   Civil   Aviation.     The   BTB   works   in   conjunction   with   members   of   the   private   sector   -­‐   including   the  Belize   Hotel   Association,   Belize   Tourism   Industry   Association   and   Belize   National   Tour   Operators  Association   –   and   is   dedicated   to   building   tourism   in   the   most   economically   and   environmentally  sustainable   manner.     As   a   part   of   its   responsibilities,   the   BTB   promotes   Belize   as   a   premier   tourism  destination   to   both   in-­‐country   and   international   consumers.     Among   its   outreach   to   the   international  travel  market,  the  BTB  markets  the  country’s  unique  attractions  to  travellers,  members  of  the  travel  trade  industry  and  media  outlets  in  key  markets.  The  BTB  is  also  dedicated  to  developing  and  implementing  tourism  programs  that  will  help  strengthen  and  grow   the   Belizean   tourism   industry;   promote   good   destination   stewardship;   and   instil   high   quality  standards  for  accommodations  and  travel  experiences.    For  more  information  on  the  BTB  and  its  services,  visit  www.travelbelize.org.  

 #  #  #