I recently spent a week in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye (a small island that is a part of Belize) and yuh betta Belize it was unBelizeable! What a great way to spend a few days of vacation. Reconnecting meaningfully with my profession at the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s Sustainable Tourism Conference was the mental and physical escape I needed. It’s been around 11 years since I’ve both attended STC and been in Belize, so my week there was expectedly very rewarding. I thought attending a conference during my vacation was enough work. Apparently I was incorrect about that and I’ll tell you all about it 😊. This is a long-ish highlight reel with links, photos, video, and music, so settle in. You’re welcome.

Cruise Tourism, Really?! There was a time when I taught a course that covered cruise tourism. I recall students telling me that after those class discussions they either canceled or wanted to cancel their cruise reservations. I was both surprised and intrigued when four days before I was due to leave for Belize, I was invited to moderate a panel on Innovating Cruise Tourism in The Blue Economy. I accepted because I really love my Caribbean. Later that same day I was invited to participate in an interview for an article (Scholars reshape the future of Caribbean tourism) by Ron Fanfair. Out the window went my idea of simply attending a conference and reconnecting with my industry. I had to get up to speed with the state of the cruise tourism sector, prepare to facilitate a conversation with experts, and prepare to be interviewed as an expert. But there was more.

On the first day of the conference, a panel on the Purple Economy (Embedding the Purple Economy in Tourism: Tools for Inclusive and Values-Based Development), featuring my friend and collaborator Acolla, was unexpectedly short of panelists, so Sherma (another friend/collaborator) and I agreed to pinch hit. It ended up being one of the highpoints of the conference for me. A truly memorable experience. The three of us live/work in different countries and seldom spend a lot of time together in the same space, analyzing and sharing thoughts about tourism. We should do it more often.

Big Gut Jack. I hadn’t woken up at the ass crack of dawn that Monday morning thinking I would be on a panel, or that I would sing on said panel. In public. Singing is not one of my talents. In fact, what’s the opposite of talent? Anyhoo, the singing was about beaches being public in Barbados… cause Jack don’t want me tuh bade on my beach, Jack tell dem to kick me outta reach… dah beach is mine, I could bade any time… I gon bade anyway… (from Jack, by The Mighty Gabby, 1982). It was quite the moment. You had to be there, literally, because in my mind the stars have aligned and all evidence was destroyed. It started with a question from the audience and became a seminal conversation about beach ownership and access in the Caribbean; how Bajans have consistently tried to ensure that beaches remain publicly owned;  and that access is real, not token. Like democracy, public ownership of- and access to- our natural heritage is an interminable battle, but some things are undeniably worth the fight. 

Elvi’s Kitchen. Elvi’s is a great example of local, multi-generational ownership and has earned its accolades. Their slogan, where something good is always cooking, is the truth! Coconut shrimp, Elvi’s Mayan (snapper cooked in a banana leaf and served with fried plantains and coconut rice), and a nice cocktail made for a delightful dinner. My compliments to the chef. And hats off to the amazing host who squeezed us in when we had no reservation on a very busy night, then a while time later politely reminded us that we had to leave because he had to turn over said table. He had told us up front that dining time was 90 minutes, so Elvi’s was one restaurant that I didn’t get close down.

Bernie and the Temples (not the name of a Punta band). One of my habits whenever I take a tour is to conduct a mental critique on the tour guides and the interpretation they offer. When you enjoy the subject of your research it’s hard to turn off, even when on vacay. Over the years I’ve had some very good experiences (e.g., at sites in Cuba, Costa Rica, Norway) and some highly questionable ones (those will not be named).

Bernard (AKA Bernie), our tour guide for the visit to the Lamanai Archaeological Reserve was impressive. He is a showman, but a very knowledgeable one, who was also quite engaging to just chat with about anything Belizean. The fact that I slept through his extensive remarks during the 45 minute bus ride from the ferry dock to the river access to get to Lamanai… ah well. I blame the ass, ass crack of dawn start to my day. I’d woken up around 5 am for our 6:15 am departure from the hotel. But after that power nap I was bright eyed and bushy tailed for the rest of the day. Who comes up with these sayings anyway? If the eyes and bushy tail are describing a squirrel, why not just say ‘I was like one of the militant, bossy squirrels who think they own my backyard’?

I’ve digressed, so back to the tour. Lamanai means “submerged crocodile” and it is a Mayan historic site in Belize’s Orange Walk District. Getting to Lamanai from San Pedro in Ambergris Caye entailed a one hour ferry ride to Belize City, the 45-minute bus ride to AyinHa Adventures, then a 20-minute boat ride on The New River. It was a gorgeous day to travel by boat, see Belize from the water, climb some steps, and walk a couple of miles.

Lamanai is a beautiful blend of Mayan history, mythology (or history that’s waiting for the evidence), lush nature, and tranquility. It’s also home to the strangler fig (a tropical epiphyte, genus Ficus, family Moraceae) which is a real parasite (IMO), though supporters characterize the relationship as more of a mutualistic one between the fig and its tree host – the strangling helps the tree to remain standing in high winds. Uh huh. How does mutualism work when the host is dead and the fig plant becomes a fig tree? Look it up. It may be the most interesting thing you read today; second only to this blog post, of course. We also learned about Pok-ta-Pok (I dare you to say that 3 times quickly), a Mayan ball game. The court shown in the second set of photos below has an interesting story about fool’s gold.

There are three temples at Lamanai (Jaguar Temple, High Temple, Mask Temple) that appear to be in quite good condition, with protections in place and more under development. Such protections include covering the masks on Mask Temple with fiberglass replicas to minimize their degradation. While climbing the temples is still allowed, I was happy to learn from Bernie that there are discussions about a ban on that activity which will hopefully be implemented sooner rather than later. I climbed Jaguar Temple, and even while climbing I was bothered by the fact that I was trampling on other people’s cultural heritage. I thought then and there that I would not climb the other temples. Those misgivings led to the conversation with Bernie about the potential ban on climbing. At the High Temple, a staircase had been built alongside the temple, so I climbed that with less guilt. A local guide who was with us for that site, explained that rangers remove plants from temple walls by hand to prevent plants from taking over the temples. That strategy is in place to protect the temple from equipment mishaps and chemical damage. All I can say is that I’m glad I’m not that type of plant ranger; have you seen the temple walls? The weeds in my backyard are more than enough.

The gorgeous day became a gorgeous moonlit night that I absolutely enjoyed on our ferry ride back. The photos capture some of it. About 14 hours after leaving for the tour, we returned for a quick turnaround to go to a reception for the conference speakers. My day started with nature, included a mini-hike and great conversation, and ended with soca and some modest wining. Does a vacation day get better than that?

Our visit to Lamanai was one of four opportunities offered by the conference to experience sustainability in action. Another trip to Belize is needed so I can experience the other three because they include Garifuna culture, chocolate, an ecolodge I’ve been hearing about for over twenty years, and the second largest barrier reef in the world.

Cassava. Food was of course another highlight. In addition to the coconut shrimp at Elvi’s, I had another type of coconut shrimp at Maxie’s. Everywhere, fried plantains. The ones at AyinHa were the best. To me they had a tamarind flavour, though one of the staff told us they were just regular fried plaintains. I’m not convinced.

The opening night reception featured a spread catered by a local company. There was A LOT of pork. A LOT. Fortunately there was a also fish, chicken, and a delicious cassava dish.

Belizean chocolate. That is all 😋.

A 14-Seater, Prayers, and Golf Carts. As much as I love exploring the world, I don’t particularly like the sensation of flying. Even less when it’s on a small plane like the ones used for travel within Belize. Do I really want to see the pilot all the time? Also, how is it that on that 14-seater it was easier to hear the pilot when he was talking without the PA system than through it? Small aircraft like that 14-seater is how I travelled within St. Vincent & the Grenadines for many years, and also how I got to Dangriga to from Belize City when I was doing research there some years ago. I should be used to it, but the 15 minute flight between Belize City and San Pedro was longer than I cared for. So I prayed more than usual. I was somewhat, though not sufficiently, distracted by the views. And unlike the last time, my pack didn’t have wheels, so I didn’t have to trap it to prevent it rolling from the back seat of the plane to the front.

A notable feature of San Pedro is that there are many golf carts and few cars. Golf carts are the standard form of transportation for residents and tourists alike and it seemed like every other shop in the town rented them. In a conversation with a taxi driver, I heard that while golf carts have been around on the island for a while, the numbers seem to have exploded in the last five years. I saw some golf cart shenanigans (a couple involving drunk tourists) that would have to be shared verbally. Yet, the same requirements for renting a car on the mainland, are in place for renting golf carts: valid driver’s licence and insurance at a minimum. Another taxi driver shared that there are many near accidents (usually locals) but not many actual accidents.

I’m a Pracademic not an Academic. Sustainable or Regenerative Tourism. Potato/potahto? New wine in old wine skins? Does it really matter what we call it as long as we keep working to ensure that all stakeholders benefit, natural and cultural resources are appropriately used, and our economies are thriving from tourism’s contributions? You may have surmised that I’m not persuaded that sustainable and regenerative are two distinct forms of- or approaches to- classifying or understanding tourism. I’m not convinced that the practitioners on the conference panel that discussed regenerative tourism saw a clear distinction either. What I am convinced of, is that even as we make strides on the sustainability journey and the ceilings of the past (e.g., energy and water guzzling fittings and appliances) become the floors of the present and future that we take for granted, some of the enduring issues and frustrations of too much rhetoric and not enough action still haunt us, or at least, haunt me. Yet being engaged in CTO’s STC has left me reinvigorated and charged up to press on. Like democracy and beach access, we always have to work on sustainability. I’m willing to keep working.

Any nincompoop who says that climate change isn’t real, should’ve been in Belize City that Saturday morning when I left. It was hot like Jack bott bott at 9:15 am when I got off the flight from San Pedro to Belize City! That is why sustainable or regenerative, tourism has to do its part.

Some More Things I Learned

• The silver market is one that the Caribbean should be very intentional about attracting.
• I’m still not convinced of mass cruise tourism, but it’s not going away. Everything has its place; I’d like that place better if the head tax for cruise passengers at ports around the region was a minimum of US $50 per person instead of US $2-$23.
• Safety and security are generally considered to be necessary conditions for well-managed tourism destinations. These conditions make destinations more attractive to their markets. In Belize Police Department there is a special unit called Tourism Police. These special officers are sworn police officers who get in-service training in tourism related areas. They are stationed at heritage sites, at the port, and other locations. They also accompany some group tours as requested or deemed necessary. Their responsibilities include ensuring that tourism businesses are meeting the legal requirements under which they operate. For example, they check tours leaving the port to ensure that tour guides are certified and working for an insured tour operator.  With regards to safety, some tour companies also employ medics to staff their tours. For our tour to Lamanai, we were accompanied by two tourism police and a medic. I enjoyed chatting with both officers and the medic, hearing their perspectives on why their jobs are important for tourism.
• Belize’s population is young. Around 70% are 29 years old and under. Consider the implications of that.
• The population on Ambergris Caye is around 13,000-20,000, not over 100,000 as I’d heard from someone at the conference.
• I look younger than my conference photo. I still don’t know if that is a compliment, a non-compliment or merely an observation.
• At least two people think I have an infinitesimal tinge of a non-Bajan accent. I don’t Belize it! The horror!!! One of the two is a Kittitian who sounds like a Trinidadian. I said what I said 😂.

Some Great Reminders and Some Ramblings

• We are warm and hospitable people across the Caribbean.
• As a region we are dependent on tourism and we should not be willfully blind to its disbenefits. Certainly, we should consistently interrogate its value.
• If we don’t center people and nature, or nature and people, we are surely doomed.
• I’ze a tourism pracademic to de bone!
• I have another book to write.
• I see a trip to Bermuda and/or Guadeloupe in the near future. Yuh betta Belize it!
• I’ze a Bajan, even though I didn’t get my walk on music to remind the audience. That reminder wasn’t for me.
• I still crack myself up!
• Touching our soil and connecting with our people has refreshed me. I hoped it would last way beyond the day after I left. Alas, going back to work on Monday was a rude return to reality. I need another vacation!
• Belize is only one hour ahead of California but I was lik up after I returned. Maybe my body and my spirit didn’t return at the same time. Or, hear me out, waking up between 5 am and 7 am for five consecutive days fried my circuits and I really need a vacay to recover from my vacation.
• Since I’m not independently wealthy and I still need to work, I need a clone or 10 so I can do all the things I love at the same time. I have to work, but I’d rather be in Bim or Belize or Bermuda or Guadeloupe…
• I should’ve bought two packs of Shirley biscuits at the airport instead of one. They only had vanilla Teatimes, not chocolate. Hmmm… should’ve bought the second Shirleys.
• See bullet 8.

Logistics. I don’t often do this, but…

From Los Angeles I connected through Dallas to Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport (BZE) in Belize City. Then took a 15-minute flight on Tropic Air from BZE to San Pedro in Ambergris Caye. I could have taken the ferry but opted for the convenience of 15 minutes versus travelling from the airport to the ferry dock to then take a 1-hour ferry ride.

I stayed at The Watermark, a hotel about 5 minutes drive from the conference hotels (Sunset Caribe and Grand Caribe). The Watermark is a nice hotel but its facade is in dire, dire, need of a facelift. Dire. But the view from the rooftop restaurant is lovely!

Getting around was relatively easy, with special transportation offered by the conference. For non-conference outings, getting a taxi was simple enough but taxi service is hella expensive. It cost US $30 to go the 5 minutes from my hotel to the conference hotel. It also cost the same to go from my hotel to the town area which was about 15 minutes away. There’s a story about a bridge and permits. I’m not even kidding. Golf cart rentals are about US $30 per day.

Farewell for now

Eleven or so years ago I was in Belize for research. It was around that same time that I last attended CTO’s STC. This time I really meant to be on vacation. It ended up being a bit more than that, but it was great nonetheless. It’s understandably hard to say no when the work is for my Caribbean and sustainable tourism. CTO STC, see you in two years. My Caribbean, I plan to see you much sooner. Uh gone!

#STC2026 #OneCaribbean #Belize