Belize Signs Declaration Aimed At Environmental Conservation

Members of Belize’s cruise tourism industry, government officials and cruise lines have signed a declaration committed to sustainable cruise industry practices, such as protecting coral reefs.

“This agreement marks an important paradigm shift, with leaders from both the international cruise industry and cruise ship destination industry jointly embracing the idea that managing cruise destination areas is a shared responsibility in which all stakeholders play an important role,” said Seleni Matus of Conservation International, which is behind the Mesoamerican Reef Tourism Initiative. Among the actions Belize agreed to via the declaration are enhancing marine and coastal resources, improving tourism planning and promoting conservation awareness among cruise ship visitors.  Visit www.conservation.org.