Belize will open its international airport on August 15, 2020, as part of the country’s five-phase re-opening strategy for tourism.

The opening of Belize City’s Philip Goldman International Airport will kick off Belize’s third phase of re-opening, allowing for further travel relaxation and open entry for chartered flights, private aviation and limited re-opening of international leisure travel with approved hotels.

Belize Tourism Minister Jose Manuel Heredia, has approved enhanced health and safety protocols which serve as the foundation for the destination’s newest “Tourism Gold Standard” Recognition Program for hotels, restaurants and tour operators.

“With Belize having such low population density and being just a short flight away from most major US cities, the destination is well poised for post-Covid-19 travel,” the Belize Tourism Board said.

This nine-point program seeks to enhance the tourism industry’s health and safety standards by adapting new behaviors and procedures to ensure both employees and travelers are confident in the cleanliness and safety of Belize’s tourism product.

Hotels will enforce social distancing and the use of face masks while in public spaces.

Other measures will include the promotion of online check-in and check-out, hand sanitizing stations across the property, enhanced room cleaning and sanitization of public spaces, daily health checks for guests and employees and designated isolation rooms for suspected COVID-19 cases.

The opening of hotels will be in a phased approach, with the first grouping of hotels being those that have achieved the Tourism Gold Standard Certificate of Recognition  and those that provide all-inclusive service to guests.

New capacity restrictions have been set for all tourism sites to ensure social distancing can be maintained.

Smaller tour group numbers will limit the number of persons on site and there will be enhanced sanitization of tour equipment.

All travelers to Belize will be required to adhere to health and safety measures implemented by the Government of Belize, which include social distancing, hand sanitization, proper hygiene and the wearing of face masks in public spaces.

Passengers traveling to Belize will be required to download the Belize Health App and complete the required information prior to boarding the flight to Belize.

A QR code with a unique ID number will be allocated to each passenger, and will be used for contact tracing while in Belize.

Passengers are encouraged to take a COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours of travel to Belize, and those that provide certification of a negative test result will be allowed immediate entry via a “fast track” lane.

Passengers that do not provide a negative COVID-19 test must test upon arrival at their own expense.

A negative result will allow entry, while a positive result will place the passenger in mandatory quarantine for a minimum period of fourteen days at their expense.