Since you have clients traveling to western Belize with us in the
near future, we want to make you aware of a recent threat to the
safety of tourists visiting archaeological sites in that area. We
had clients staying at Blancaneaux Lodge who went on a guided tour
to Caracol this past Monday, May 15. Upon returning, their party of
five guests and three others was attacked and robbed by armed
bandits. Thankfully our clients were unharmed, but all of their
valuables, cameras and money were stolen. To the best of our
knowledge, this was the first time such an incident ever occurred
with any of the hotels we represent, although upon researching the
situation further we have learned of other robberies in the area.
Security in this area is being increased dramatically, and
Blancaneaux Lodge, Chaa Creek and DuPlooys have each assured us that
the safety of guests is their top priority. After the incident,
Blancaneaux issued the following statement: "Rest assured, we and
everyone else involved, are not letting this rest – we are
contacting everyone we possibly can to assist the private sector in
this escalating violence which will ultimately hurt all of us if
allowed to continue unchecked."
What kind of precautions can those of us with cruises including Belize City take???
I recognize the obvious, don't wear jewelry or flash money or credit cards. Any other suggestions would be welcomed by this gal who is taking her family on a Christmas cruise with a day in Belize City.
P.S.- I verified the information about the attacks on tourists.
Seems to be a very serious problem and one we need to be aware of. http://www.belizefirst.com/current.html
Pretty much the obvious. I try not to bring a purse, stay with the excursion group. It does appear that the government/local authorities want it safe...I would venture to guess, if it becomes worse, cruiseships might be skipping this stop...
It was really, really safe. We were picked up DIRECTLY from the ship by a tour boat that went directly to the island. No locals were on the island except for the staff! We loved it!
Not the best way to get a "taste of local culture" ... but, sometimes that's not a bad thing ....
#
#
Linear Mode
