Friday, January 21, 2011 — A large group of vibrant BTIA members gathered at Barefoot Bar yesterday, January 20 for the Placencia BTIA Chapter General Meeting. BTIA’s National President, Jim Scott, welcomed the group at the start of the meeting, and later conducted the board elections. A new Placencia Chapter Board was elected, and Mr. Stewart Krohn is the new Chairman for Placencia. Other board members are Steve Christensen, Beverly Cabral, Ycela Alpuche, David Vernon, Anne-Marie McNeil, & Hannah Cowell (photo courtesy Muzamanzie Photographs). The agenda included a presentation on the Toledo Cacao Fest by Isel Alamilla, updates from Elysia Dial and remarks from outgoing Chairperson, Wendy Lemus.  Nicole Solano was invited to present on Destination Belize 2012.

The Destination Belize presentation was delivered on Barefoot Bar’s big screen, and featured a walk through the online media kit at www.destinationbelize.com. Members were also informed that an iPad app was developed for the Media Kit, soon to be available for free download from the App Store. The group was pleased to learn about the new integrated marketing approach for this upcoming edition.  Jim Scott informed members that discussions are currently underway between BTIA and the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) to finalize the partnership details for the next edition of Destination Belize, and mentioned that there are several new and exciting possibilities that could further enhance the publication, including the possible involvement of high profile travel writers. Destination Belize representatives continue to visit with members and advertisers in all destinations, encouraging maximum involvement by tourism industry businesses and service providers countrywide. While details are available online, meetings can be arranged to discuss individual marketing needs. Ad spaces are confirmed in Editorial Sections on a first-come, first- serve basis.