And from south Stann Creek to Southern waters...
If you've ever been to any island on the Turneffe Atoll we won't have to work hard to jog up the memory of warm sandy beaches and the turquoise waters of the Caribbean sea.
But the Turneffe Atoll is changing, adding as many as 5 new eco-tourism attractions, including the famous Wit Concrete to its world of water wonders.
Those attractions were launched today at Calabash Caye under the "Bluerise" brand in front of a small crowd of government officials, NGO leaders, and curious tourists. I was there and here's that story.
It was less sunny and more blustery at Turneffe Atoll as a cross-section of stakeholders including the CEO of the Ministry of the Blue economy, a representative from the Prime Ministers' office, and staff from blackbird Caye gathered to celebrate the official launch of 5 new eco-tourism products.
And this morning CEO Kennedy Carillo told the crowd why Turneffe Atoll is so essential to Belize's Blue economy.
Kennedy Carillo, CEO, Blue Economy
"The ecosystem services provided by Turneffe Attoll Marine Reserve alone contributes approximately 500 million dollars through storm protection value, tourism blue carbon and commercial fisheries to Belize's economy."
Beverly Wade, Office of the Prime Minister
"We realize that we have to now evolve how we approach protected areas management and we realize that it is time for us to now be innovative. I know the word innovative have been use a lot today, but its truly the right word for us to coin how we need to move forward in the future."
And move forward they have, under the enthusiastic direction of TASA's executive director Valdemar Andrade. This morning he gave us the run down on four out of five exciting new products.
Valdemar Andrade, Executive Director, TASA
"The five products that we here launched today to be able to support the tourism stakeholders that are present here on Turneffe and also the day operators that operate from Caye Caulker, San Pedro, Belize City and the south include the nature trail. So we have a 1,600 feet nature trail that includes a boardwalk, it includes a hammock bridge and a 40 foot tower. So from the 40 foot tower you can see right at the canopy of the mangroves and then you can see way above the mangroves, so you can understand exactly how Turneffe provides shoreline protection for the entire Belize City and surrounds. We also of course - the Wit has been one of the most challenging products that we took and that is now completed. We did all the relevant finalization of that work to ensure the safety of the divers and so divers are able to come and enjpy that along with our underwater trail. So we have an underwater trail with 5 stops and those 5 stops actually have a slate that explains to the snorkelers exactly what is happening at each stop. So basically, we try to give them an ecology lesson off the reef. We also talk about coral restoration and different aspects in terms of our reef ecosystems and how that blends in with the different ecosystems that are here."
And for optimal enjoyment of the new tourism products the tour guides needed a place to tie their boats, that's where Joshua Murray came in.
Joshua Murray, Marine contractor, TASA
"It was tedious but rewarding. It had to be done in three stages the first phase we had to do consultations with the relevant stakeholders to get their feedback and input where they want to put the moorings, when we finish that we did the site survey to determine what type of anchors we will be using and then from there we went into the manufacturing phase of the buoys themselves and the final phase which was the hardest of them, installation of the anchors themselves. It was something challenging, because the environment that we work with is day to day, it varies and some days it was easy, but some days it was like we could only have gotten like one done in a day. But it was very rewarding to see that this network is a part of the tourism product for TASA and I guess it one of the things that they want too highlight because the tour operators will be using them on a daily basis."
Delonie Forman, Tourism Business Developer, TASA
"At TASA we are looking at high value low impact tourism we are not saying they come one come all, Turneffe is open and we want to see 10 boats line out here, no, that not what we want. We want low impact tourism; we want visitors to feel that when they are in Turneffe they are in a special place. They have privileged access to be here and we want them to feel like they are the only ones in this space, which is why we've set up a reservation system for scheduling visits to Calabash Caye, so it is set up as a rest stop for surface intervals for dive operators and when they are here with their group. they're the only ones here at that specific time slot. So, there is no overcrowding and It really adds value the experience of the visitors, because we are keeping it pristine, for small groups, high value clients."
You can book electronic tickets to just one part of the Turneffe atoll experience or get an all inclusive pass at the Turneffe bluerise website.
