In Belize - a country with so much coastline, the awareness of the sea is always with us, and so too, the Belize Barrier Reef which is integral in protecting coastal communities from storm surges that come with hurricanes.
But, apart from the natural flood protection it provides, the reef system is a World Heritage Site that is important to Belize's marine habitat. It is also a major ecotourism attraction for foreign visitors.
That's why the Ministry of the Blue Economy wants to establish a marketing brand that's easily recognized and connected to the barrier reef. After months of work on this brand, the Ministry and their consultants unveiled it at their World Oceans Day event:
Beverly Wade - Policy & Planning Advisor, Ministry of Blue Economy
"Some 25 years ago, 12% of Belize's total reef area was designated as the country's only World Heritage Site. 7 sites were identified to illustrate the uniqueness of our Belize Barrier Reef system, and it's an outstanding universal value, from mankind. These sites include the Bacalar Chico National Park and Marine Reserve, the Blue Hole Natural Monument, Half-moon Caye Natural Monument, the South Water Caye Marine Reserve, the Glovers Reef Marine Reserve, Laughing Bird Caye National Park, and the Sapodilla Caye Marine Reserve."
"In 2009, the World Heritage Committee decided to place Belize's barrier reef system on the list of World Heritage Sites in danger, which was really a signal to Belize that there were some activities occurring which threatened this outstanding universal value of the site. I am pleased to state that Belize has now met all the corrective measures prescribed to maintaining the outstanding universal value of our property, with Cabinet's recent decision last month, to designate the remaining national lands within the property as mangrove reserves."
"Today's launch of the branding and marketing strategy of our barrier reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is meant to realize the economy and societal value of a thriving reef system, which is contributing meaningfully to our national economy and people."
Talia Salem - Consultant, Center for Responsible Tourism
"We just wanted to anchor on what the brand stands for, and what is the mission of the brand will be going forward. So, first and foremost, and appropriately today that we live in the Blue Economy. So, this brand not only focuses on tourism but focuses on fisheries and other parts of the blue economy."
"The brand focuses on fostering sustainable tourism, which is in line with the mission of CREST, and we definitely want to carry that through the brand, to make sure that the Belize Barrier Reef is protected for years to come. We support the responsible consumption of legal fish."
"We also support local education. We see local education as a vital part of the Belize Barrier Reef Brand. And lastly, we're aligned with the mission of UNESCO's World Heritage Marine Programme."
"So here's the logo. We're so excited to unveil it to you. As you can see, the font really mirrors the Belize font for the national tourism logo. You also see the turtle there. There are several endangered species that are within the World Heritage Site. And you can see by the shadowing, it's actually swimming. So, that really connotes the vibrancy of the reef and the thriving ecosystem. You'll see several colors of coral here, which really underscores the cultural nature of the reef again."
