Señorita Comunidad Salvadoreña: Jasmine Rodriguez

Miss Jasmine Rodriguez takes home the title of Señorita Comunidad Salvadoreña. The pageant was a fundraiser aimed at raising money for the Grupo Salvadoreño. They in turn help out various causes throughout the island.

Monica Muñoz represented Captain Morgan's Retreat.

Children got to play games hosted by the contestants. Shown above is Miss Emeli Cerpa.

Beautiful Miss Yanira Lara at her station.

Miss Nancy Hob and her mother Lupita at Nancy's fundraising station.

Mmmm...pupusas. El Salvador's national dish!!

Jasmine's friends lent a helping hand as well.

Sponsored by The Beauty Club, Jasmine is pictured above with owners Betty and Eiden.

Mexico & Belize Tourism Sectors Strengthen Ties

BTIA Press Release -Belize City, Belize (July 13, 2009)

On Saturday July 11, 2009 the second familiarization trip between Mexico and Belize successfully concluded. This event organized by the Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA) and the Embassy of Mexico to Belize, included a delegation comprised of 18 Belizean hoteliers, tour operators, media and tourism representatives from the Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA), the Belize Tourism Board (BTB), the Belize Hotel Association (BHA), the Belize National Tour Operators Association (BNTOA) and the Belize National Tourist Guide Association (BNTGA).The aim of the trip was to promote Quintana Roo and Yucatan as tourist destinations in Mexico and vice versa, as was done in the familiarization trip to Belize last year, when Belize was highlighted. Visitors visiting either Belize or Mexico could now be encouraged to prolong their stay and visit both countries. The Belize delegation engaged in a total of 6 business meetings in Chetumal, Mahahual, Bacalar, Merida, Valladolid, and Izamal to interact with key contacts and to network with Mexican hoteliers, travel agents wholesalers and tour operators whom were pleased to meet with Belizean counterparts, offer them more information on Quintana Roo and Yucatan and receive in return more information on Belize.Merida's tourism sector was keen to renew its relationship with Belize through the Mundo Maya Organization, which they felt was once beneficial for Merida and Belize. The new Maya Island Air flight from Cancun to Belize and the continuous interest from Mexican bus line Autobuses de Oriente (ADO) were also discussed. Maya's flight launch on July 8th could not have come at a more opportune time. These new connections are expected to open new opportunities to promote, market, and link the Mundo Maya region, and will play a major role in developing business opportunities within the region.
The Belizean delegation actively participated in the busy itineraries in Yucatan and southern Quintana Roo. The trip has helped Belize operators to familiarize themselves with some of Yucatan's main attractions, including Chichen Itza, La Hacienda Viva de Sotuta de Peon, Sinkholes in Valladolid and also Quintana Roo's main attractions included Mahahaul, Bacalar and the the Museum of Maya Culture in Chetumal. For BTIA, sector representatives, hoteliers and the Mexican Embassy, the results of the meetings and familiarization trip were encouraging, receiving positive feedback from participants overall. This trip was conducted as reciprocal cooperation and hospitality in an effort to strengthen tourism ties between both countries, similar to the tour that was held in Belize for Mexican tourism operators last year, where they had the opportunity to tour the attractions throughout Belize.

For more information about the Mexico-Belize trip please contact the Belize Tourism Industry Association at telephone number 227-1144 or E-mail: info@btia.org.or the Embassy of Mexico to Belize at 822-0406.

Salvador Figueroa receives the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle

Mr. Salvador Figueroa was awarded 16 July 2009 the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle (Orden Mexicana del Aguila Azteca en Grado de Banda), in a ceremony held at the Embassy of Mexico in Belmopan. The Government of Mexico awarded the Order to Mr. Figueroa, in recognition of his diplomatic work performed during his tenure at the Embassy of Belize in Mexico in strengthening the relations between both countries and also as Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Mexico. On behalf of the Mexican government, the Ambassador of Mexico, Luis Manuel Lopez-Moreno, gave the Order to Mr. Figueroa.

Planned Power Outage - San Pedro - Sunday, July 19, 2009

Belize Electricity Limited advises its customers in San Pedro Town that the supply of electricity will be temporarily interrupted from 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon on Sunday, July 19, 2009.

Areas to be affected: All that area from Royal Palms to Casa Manana.

BEL apologizes for the inconvenience caused but this outage is necessary for the company to perform maintenance on the distribution system in the area.

For customer inquiries and services call us toll free at: 0-800-BEL-CARE OR 0-800-235-2273. To view scheduled outages via our website visit: http://www.bel.com.bz/services_outages.asp

This notice is for public information purposes only. For more information, contact Belize Electricity Limited, Corporate Communications Department at 227-0954, ext 2502.

Karaoke Fund Raiser at Roadkill Bar

The weekly karaoke night at Roadkill Bar turned into a fund raiser last Wednesday when crooners of all chords showed up to belt one out for a good cause. In an effort to raise funds for a young man in need of medical attention, the bar managed to raise over $500 while the patrons enjoyed a great night of entertainment. Kudos to Helda for organizing the event and singing her heart out and all performers were in fine form for the event. The night was a huge success and everyone, singers and customers alike, had a fun time.