And moving on to other news...a group doing a recognizance in the Sittee Forest Reserve think they may have stumbled upon a previously unknown waterfall. And the big news is that it may just be the second tallest in Belize at an estimated 800 feet or more.
It is located at the edge of a geological feature that resembles a crater.
Dr Percival Cho who was leading the "reccy" team told us they are calling it "Challenger Falls," named after Prof. Challenger in Aurthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World.
Former Attorney General Speaks On Marijuana Referendum
As we told you earlier, the office of the Governor General has officially issued a writ of referendum for the possible legalization of marijuana on Caye Caulker. Today we asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs and former AG what he believes will result from it.
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs
"Well, that's a process for, the people of Caye Caulker, They will have to make a determination. They thought it was an important issue for their community. So you know, I think yesterday, the minister responsible for elections, briefed cabinet that the process is going to move forward. We have to allocate the funds for our referendum. So that that is moving forward, and we'll have an opportunity to hear directly from the people of Caye Caulker on that issue."
"As you know the ministry of new Growth Industries has been working on this issue. It's something we have talked about in our previous term of office of Advancing. I think we have to look at it again. So, you know, I don't think we're in a position yet to say definitively what our position will be, but I think the outcome of the referendum in Caye Caulker will help to guide that process moving forward. So we are all looking at that process to see what the outcome will be."
Third Investment Summit Building Bridges Between Investors And Private Sector
This year's Belize Investment Summit has officially kicked off with a welcome cocktail this evening - which will also serve as a warm up networking event. The real show begins tomorrow with an opening ceremony, keynote speeches, and ministerial panels. Among the presenters will be the prime minister and specially invited guests. Today, the executive director of Beltraide told us more about what's to come.
Ishmael Quiroz, Executive Director, Beltraide
"The evolution of it has been such that the first one spoke about Belize being open for business. The second one spoke about the opportunities, Belize as a land of endless opportunities."
"This year we're operating under the theme "Bridging Markets, Building Resilience" and it's reflective of the changing global landscape when it comes to trade investment and so we're very much seeking to be relevant and in tune with the demands and time of what investors are saying, of where trade is going, of where our potential lies and so and so we're very much looking to have that discussion, bring together leaders from both the public sector and private sector and experts in their field to talk about Belize's strategic role in especially regionalization."
"We have two fantastic guests speakers this year. The first is Dr Ernesto Staine from the Tecnologico de Monterrey. He has done a diagnostic of Belize's economic performance as well as identify various opportunities that Belize should be going after within the context of trade within our region. The second guest speaker that is a celebrity in his own right is Adam Stewart, he's the executive chairman of Sandals Resorts international and he will be talk about his experience and his perspective on the future of luxury tourism. It's definitely an area that we want to go after in Belize, tourism is so significant to us and so let's learn as much as possible from their perspectives."
"The Belize Investment Summit is the venue for networking, for connecting, for making business deals and this is one of the reasons people attend and why there's growing demand to attend the Belize Investment Summit. And so it's going to be right at the forefront in terms of the opportunity to request meetings with specific stakeholders from different sectors and we have a team that's supporting the scheduling of those meetings and the idea is to bring together people who are looking for either investors or people who have a project and are seeking to attract investment into them."
"The feedback has been extremely positive, we've gotten great comments about the leads that they've gotten, the connections that they've made and the deals that they've been able to secure. As you know, the foreign direct investment has been growing over the years, that's a reflection of both the investor confidence as well as confidence in the programs, the incentives that Belize has on offer for investors and the investment summits are a platform for disseminating information on that. So the feedback has been that it's been very useful, very worthwhile, a great opportunity to connect a network."
Investment Summit Economic Boost For San Pedro
And Minister Andre Perez will also be at tomorrow's event. He told us today that apart from the success of the summit itself, it's also a huge economic boost for San Pedro.
Andre Perez, Minister of the Blue Economy
"The summit has been proven to be very successful, every year it's getting better and better and by all accounts this year, the spaces are filled up and I know I had people reaching out to me for additional spaces. It is very productive, in terms of the investment summit there are many things that are done there. We thoroughly vet these people that come here, we just won't be accepting any kind of investors. Myself, especially my office and my ministry, we vet the people who really want to come and network with us. What can they offer, how can they come, because we need sound investment but not people who are coming in with all these bright ideas and then they have nothing to show. We need to see a plan, so we're looking for that. Thirdly, tourism, this is going to be a huge boost for us, especially in the middle of the slow season. We have hundreds of people descending on the island here for the summit and of course to stay for the weekend, to do all the different things we can do here in San Pedro so it's a big win especially for San Pedro but indeed the summit is for the entire country."
We'll have coverage of the summit in tomorrow's news.
Belize's Best Creatives Honored For Carrying The Torch
They have dedicated decades of their life to practicing and preserving Belizean Art, Music, Culture and Customs. The National Celebrations Commission held its 4th Creative and Cultural excellence awards today at the House Of Culture/Government House. There were 8 categories all named after historical Belizean icons- and the awards were given to those who carry on the tradition. Jomarie Lanza reports.
Frankie's September Show Focuses On 80's R&B
And one of those creative giants of Belizean history is surely Frankie Reneau. From the seminal Mass in Blues in 1972 to Celebration in 1996, his name is writ large in Belize's artistic history. He's curated a set of timeless tunes that stretch far back into the 80's R&B soul era which will be delivered by a live band and singers. The Francis Reneu Concert Series is an experience of it's own and we stopped by this evening during rehearsals to see what he has in store for us at the Bliss.
The 2 shows will take place on The 4th and 5th of September starting at 8:00PM. Tickets can be purchased at the Bliss Box Office
Benny's Makes Going Back To School Special At Grace Primary
A standard 2 class at Grace Primary school got a complete makeover before the school year began after their teacher won a competition from Benny's Belize. We met with their marketing team today and got to see how they transformed the classroom into a creative educational space for the kids. Jomarie Lanza has this story.
