And those who are looking at visiting Belize will find it easier, and cheaper after the mandatory travel insurance is removed. According to the minister, there's no actual date set as yet but he's been in consultations with tourism stakeholders, who have agreed that the mandatory insurance might not be necessary anymore. "Hmh! Yathink!?" Here's how he explained it to us:
Hon. Anthony Mahler - Minister of Tourism
"We are looking at time frame, hopefully before we go into the next high season, we had some discussions with the private sector, BTIA has lawyers supported, BHA initially said no then BHA came back and said it's a good thing because it's not just COVID relief, it's appendix being removed, trauma to the head, broken hand, broken foot, all sorts of stuff and it has a cancellation policy in there as well. So we're looking at it, we're listening to the industry and the industry is saying now, maybe it's time for us to remove it and I have always had a good relationship with both BTIA, BHA, and all of them. I listen, I consult, and we look at it from a technical standpoint, pros and cons, and then we make decisions so hopefully soon we can remove it."
We note that countries like Jamaica and Bahamas continue to have a mandatory travel insurance while others like Costa Rica have eliminated it.
