Thursday, September 24, 2015. BMG: San Pedro, Ambergris Caye will be the site of a new international airport to be constructed in the years to come as part of the government’s focus on infrastructure-based developments to increase economic activity and in this case, stimulate tourism on the island and in the rest of the country.
Prime Minister Dean Barrow made the announcement on Monday during his Independence Day speech, saying “Tourism remains our single largest driver” and detailing plans to improve marketing and quality service efforts.
Barrow explained that the government intends to continue the North Ambergris Caye Road Project, and have already signed a contract for the construction of another 4 miles of the road providing land access to the premier resorts on North Ambergris, making for a total of 11 miles that GOB has already funded.
“I am also happy to announce that the Basil Jones Airstrip will be renamed the Efrain Guerrero International Airport in honor of the eponymous, recently deceased San Pedro patriot,” Barrow said. “With this, we expect a phenomenal new opening up, a veritable tourism explosion, in Ambergris Caye, which is of course already our market leader.”
He also mentioned that GOB intends to construct a new road to Lamanai via Bermudan Landing and Lemonal and that the archeological site will form part of the day trip circuit for cruise passengers and provide increased tourism opportunities to Orange Walk and to the Belize Rural North villages along the route.
Barrow also said the government will see to the paving of the highway to the Caracol Maya Archeological site, with two points of origin from Georgeville and Santa Elena. Funding is being made locally and government has already signed the contract for road rehabilitation from Cristo Rey to San Antonio and thereafter to the junction with the Georgeville Road. The OPEC and Kuwaiti Funds will then partner together to construct another 40 plus miles from the junction to Mountain Pine Ridge and then to Caracol. In addition to the huge tourism boost, the highway also carries tremendous implications for a quantum improvement in security protection arrangements for the Caracol area, he said.