Belize Tourist Board Reaches out on Social Networks

- Gone are the days when most people wrote letters to comment on their day or vacation to family and friends. While these days the amount of email received and the urgency of responses expected from their senders can sometimes be stressful, the internet has become an extremely valuable tool in marketing Belize's tourism product whether via websites, email or recently, the use of popular social networking sites and activities.

 According to the Nielsen Reports, 17 percent of time spent on the Internet in August was devoted to Social Networking and Blog Sites, Up from 6 Percent a year ago. This includes networks such as Facebook, Twitter, My Space, as well as individual blogs on niche topics.

For the Belize Tourism Board, these online communities of people who share interests and/or activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others have presented a new opportunity to communicate directly and in "real time" with potential visitors to Belize.

On FACEBOOK.com the BTB's "Belize Vacation" invites visitors to become a fan and to keep current on interesting events in Belize, special travel offers; highlights of destinations and attractions in the country as well as trade shows.

BTB's TWITTER.com's voice "Belize Vacation" provides similar information in 140 word bursts that can be picked up by followers of the BTB as well as anyone who is monitoring a Twitter search for "Belize"

For local tourism stakeholders, monthly tourism activity updates and weekly mailers from the BTB are now being supplemented by a blog which posts news on BTB's activities as they occur, including updates from BTB personnel at international trade shows. Going Places with the BTB can be followed at - www.belizetourism.org/tblog

"We recognize that the Internet is a major medium for facilitating travel to Belize. While our Belize travel gateway at www. travelbelize.org had 150,000 unique visitors in the past three months, we are making every effort to ensure that we keep abreast and remain actively involved in the popular and effective trends that are emerging." states Director of Tourism, Tracy Panton, "We are encouraged by the positive comments and increased numbers that we are receiving from online visitors."

The BTB's websites and related Internet activities are managed by Dangriga-based Naturalight Productions, the BTB's Internet Marketing Agency.

For more information on the developments and events in Belize tourism industry, please contact the Marketing Department at the Belize Tourism Board at (501)-227-2420, via e-mail: info@travelbelize.org or visit us at our website www.belizetourism.org