Located on the northeastern coast of Central America, the country of Belize has developed its tourist industry from virtually nonexistent in the 1960s to one of the premiere ecotourism destinations in the world today. Its proximity to the United States, less than a 2-hour flight from many American cities, coupled with the fact that Belize is the only country in Central America whose official language is English makes Belize a prime target for the U.S. tourist market. In an effort to distinguish itself from many other Caribbean tourist destinations and because its infrastructure was largely underdeveloped, Belize made a concerted effort to tap into the burgeoning ecotourism market beginning in the 1980s.

Established in 1982, the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) was charged with developing a countrywide ...