It’s been one of the Caribbean’s buzzing destinations in the last three years, and now Belize is taking a major step forward with its first-ever nonstop flights from New York. 

Fast-expanding JetBlue Airways is set to launch its inaugural nonstop service between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Belize’s Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport in Belize City in December. 

The first flight will kick off on Dec. 6, 2023, launching what will be thrice-weekly service, with flights on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The New York-Belize flight takes a little under five hours. 

Interestingly, much of Belize’s flight growth in recent years has come from outside the Caribbean’s traditional strongholds of Miami and New York, meaning Belize is now starting to capitalize on what has been a major opportunity to grow its tourism sector in the Northeast. 

Even without major flight service from the East Coast, the destination has been attracting a wave of new hotel brands, from Marriott to Margaritaville (which just opened in March) to, most recently, Four Seasons, which is developing a private-island resort on Belize’s Caye Chapel. 

The new route will complement United’s existing route out of Newark. New Jersey.

“We’re thrilled to announce the new partnership between Belize and JetBlue and can’t wait to welcome JetBlue’s first-ever flight to our country in December,” said Belize Tourism Minister Anthony Mahler. “This is a huge win for our ongoing efforts to make Belize accessible to more U.S. visitors, with JFK being one of the biggest air travel hubs for tens of millions of travelers. We’re excited for JetBlue to join the family of airline partners offering nonstop flight options to Belize and we invite everyone to visit and discover the beauty of this enchanting country and all that it has to offer.”

Belize now has flights from 11 cities in the United States, and American visitors continue to dominate tourism arrivals to the destination — to the tune of 88 percent of all travelers to Belize. 

“We are proud to continue diversifying our network and to introduce even more options to connect our customers in our focus cities of New York, Boston, Orlando, and Los Angeles to the places they want to fly, bringing more great service and everyday low fares to more customers,” said David Jehn, vice president of network planning at JetBlue. “These new routes will position JetBlue to deliver even more growth and connectivity to popular destinations, while also furthering the airline’s significant presence across Latin America and the Caribbean.”

The news follows recently-announced service from New York to St Kitts, which JetBlue will begin on Nov. 2. JetBlue also just announced a new route coming soon between Boston and Grenada.