For Christmas shoppers it's the last minute scramble to finish buying gifts and clothes for Christmas Day, and if you missed out on the GST Free deals this past weekend, the Corozal Free Zone offered itself as an option to get some shopping done. Jomarie Lanza went north to see what was happening and here's how it went.
The music was playing, and the vibes were right - but the Corozal Free Zone did not runneth over with shoppers today.
Yesterday evening it was announced that on this day only - the Zone would be open to Belizeans to come in and buy, all you have to do is pay a $5 for your vehicle to enter - with one major caveat: general retail goods only - no alcohol, or cigarettes. Perhaps, not quite the incentive most shoppers were looking for - which may have explained the lukewarm turnout we saw.
It's not the first time the zone has opened to the Belizean public:
Neri Ramirez, CEO, Corozal Freezone
"So giving one day to Belizeans an opportunity to take advantage to come and visit it is an outing for them and at the same time you may find things here that you don't find on the national territory so it is something good for them."
"Why we say retail level is because it is not for wholesale we don't expect people come and buy a truck load of merchandise to take back to the national territory it is just for their personal use if they would want to buy their clothing, their gift items, footwear, toys for their children and to experience something new coming into the freezone since they are not being given the opportunity to enter the way they would want. The Corozal free zone is mostly for Mexicans and tourists it is a duty free area, all merchandise only pays 3% social fee that enters in this area so the price is different. You have to understand that on National territory everything that is imported to Belize pays duty and it is a big difference so by allowing belizeans to come here and take advantage everyday then imagine the chamber of commerce in the national territory they would jump at us."
But is it really worth it? Coming in to shop on a Tuesday? And was there an influx of vehicles between this morning and midday? According to CEO Ramirez the real rush doesn't happen until after working hours.
Neri Ramirez, CEO, Corozal Freezone
"What will happen today by the end of the day because we have a digital system, a ticketing system that once you come in and you pay your $5 we can get that on real time like right now as an example I would tell you that you came in too early for me because then you wouldn't see the difference. If you stay here until 3:00, 4:00 in the evening you would see a big impact you will not only see Belizeans you will see the amount of Mexican vehicles come into the Free zone plus the Belizeans together I can give you an idea, well not an ida the facts that this past Sunday 2400 vehicles came in from Chetumal on one day and this is happening every weekend. Sunday is our busiest day and this is our high season and we extend the hours. Normal working hours for us in the Free zone is from 8-5 and in this season we extend it to 7:00 in the night so they can come in and do their shopping till 7:00 the night."
By Midday only 311 vehicles had entered the zone, the majority of them coming in from the Mexican side, but Ramirez maintains that even if they were to get a huge influx of buyers into the zone they had enough security to maintain the traffic coming.
Neri Ramirez, CEO, Corozal Freezone
"Business is business and you are here to sell so if you are given the opportunity to sell $1000-$2000 more a day everybody would be happy they are happy with it."
"We are prepared we have double shift of security's to try to direct traffic so no accidents can happen in the Corozal free zone."
"I believe by the way I see it, expecting about 3-400 vehicles coming in at the end of the day not everybody will come people have already made their investments, their shoppings already the free GST the 2 weekends and a lot of people have work, today is a working day so it is not a weekend and that is one of the main reasons why we did not do it on a Sunday we did not want to take the business from the GST so let people in Belize buy in Belize on GST free."
And some shoppers complained that today wasn't even duty free - making the Free Zone Open Day more window shopping than volume shopping.
The last time the Free Zone was opened to the public was in November 2007 when an estimated 5,000 Belizean shoppers went for what was then described as a "Free Zone Frenzy".
Latest numbers from today at 5:30 put it at 1246 Belizean shoppers in 395 Vehicles, and 1404 Mexicans.
