Local Government Restricts Belize Timeshare Operators
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Your relaxing vacation in Belize just got even better!
Effective immediately: timeshare operators, off-property consultants, and other timeshare-hustler types in and around Ambergris Caye, Belize, will have to back off. It seems the Belize Tourism Board was getting too many complaints from tourists (and locals) trying to enjoy a peaceful day at the beach or a leisurely stroll along the city streets and shops.
Many Belize timeshare operators were simply being too pushy. On December 8, 2005, timeshare representatives, the Belize Registrar of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation, area police officers, and members of the San Pedro Town Council met together to discuss the problem. As a result, a resolution was enacted requiring, “all timeshare operators cease and desist from soliciting timeshare sales in public areas.”
A second resolution requires that timeshare operators apply through the San Pedro Town Council for a trade license for their timeshare booths and kiosks. They will now be required to adhere to the guidelines and procedures stipulated by their trade license or face stiff penalties or a ban on soliciting.
Representatives from the following Belize timeshare properties participated in the decision: Captain Morgan’s Vacation Club, the Seven Seas Resort, The Villas at Banyan Bay, Aquamarina Suites, Costa Maya Reef Resort, and the Belize Yacht Club (Island Club Resorts).
It’s very encouraging to see more countries around the world getting tough on pushy timeshare sales tactics, and it is particularly gratifying to see Belize getting into the act. Obviously the Mayor and the six members of the San Pedro Town Council are serious about protecting the serenity of their community – and rightfully so, considering that Belize is a tranquil natural paradise in its own right. Just off the coastline of Belize lies the second largest barrier reef in the world—and the three incredible Belize atolls. Centuries of coral, in colors from red to green to vivid yellow, have helped form the atolls, and nowhere does the Great Belize Barrier Reef run as closely to the shoreline as it does in Ambergris Caye.