In 1996, the government of Belize established a legislative body within the Ministry of Tourism.  Acting as an administrative intermediary between government and the private sector, the Belize Tourism Board is charged with the responsibility of planning and excecuting tourism programs for the benefit of local industries and Belizeans.

In 1998, one of the Board's top priorities was the creation of a medium-term national tourism strategy, the Blackstone Report, for the development of tourism in Belize. Unlike government's 1988 tourism statement, the Blackstone Report, was based on analyses of tourism's contribution to the national economy and its role in the regional and global scene.  It showed that annual arrivals had started to level off and warned that the industry may become sluggish without a focused goal of increasing visitation while proctecting natural resources. Apart from creating a framework for tourism development, Blackstone defined Belize's product, its target market, its key players, and its goals.

Implementation of the Blackstone recommendations implied enhancement and branding of the Belize product as measured by the conversion of interest in Belize into actual overnight stays.  To this end, resources were dedicated to a more aggressive marketing approach, which included:

• establishment of a new brand image for Belize's product,
• inclusion of inland adventure attractions and Belize's cultures to highlight the image of a diverse product,
• use of market surveys to identify Belize's most suitable market segments,
• incorporation of low-cost high-yield advertising media such as the Internet as a means of directing messages to the target audience,
• revision and development of quality literature, promotional materials, and images that emphasized the product,
• collaborative advertising plans with private sector,
• and analyses of the effectiveness of promotional activities.

The payoff for this strategy came in 2003 when the growth in tourism overnight arrivals over a five-year period, was calculated to have increased by 44,000 visitors, surpassing Blackstone's goal of 20,000.  Other indicators show that the Belize product has been gaining strength in its international market, placing within the top ten world adventure travel destinations in 2003. 

Parallel to Belize's positioning of her product, tourism, in its role as an export sector, has stimulated economic growth. Besides adding to gross and net foreign exchange, tourism creates direct and indirect job opportunities.  Its contribution to Belize's GDP is measured directly (wages, salaries, interests, profits, etc.) and indirectly (banking, construction, utilities, manufacturing, etc.).  In turn, enhancement of Belize's destination has meant

• expansion of infrastructure and services,
• creation of a safe investment climate,
• development of ancillary services and products,
• increased flight arrivals and routes
• improvement of attractions sites such as archaeological parks,
• and increased opportunities for small businesses.

Tourism, therefore, initiates a chain reaction of economic activity which revitalizes the domestic market and strengthens the economy.

The Blackstone Report predicted that tourism would create a 20% increase in the number of employment opportunities totaling 3,000 new positions. It is estimated that Belize tourism in 2005 generated over 6,000 full time jobs and contributed indirectly to the creation of 15,000 others. 

As forecast by the Blackstone Report, cruise tourism has grown strongly in recent years.  A dramatic spike in cruise visitors from 13,000 arrivals in 1994 to 851,436 passengers in 2004 has highlighted the need for improvement of the cruise ship infrastructure. This has been partially addressed with the development of the Fort Street Tourism Village, a cruise passenger terminal/commercial center along Belize City's waterfront which hosts and entertains cruise visitors.