BTB Gives Students Behind-the-Scenes Look at Cruise Industry Careers

Forty students from secondary schools across Belize are preparing to board the Carnival Liberty tomorrow as part of the Belize Tourism Board’s ongoing effort to expose young people to career opportunities within the tourism industry.  The students will board the cruise ship at the Fort Street Tourism Village, where they will receive a firsthand look at how a major cruise vessel operates. During the visit, they are expected to meet a wide range of ship personnel, from the captain and senior officers to employees working in hospitality, technical services and maintenance.  The participating students are drawn from Nazarene High School, Edward P. Yorke High School, Anglican Cathedral College, the Hope Resource Center and Muffles College.  The initiative is designed to help students better understand the many professions connected to cruise tourism, including navigation, engineering, food and beverage services, customer service, entertainment and ship maintenance. It also forms part of the BTB’s wider strategy to prepare the next generation of tourism professionals by giving them direct exposure to the industry.  The student visit follows a similar initiative undertaken by the Tourism Board last November, when five Belizean tour operators travelled to Puerto Rico for an annual cruise conference. During that trip, the operators observed cruise ship operations firsthand and participated in seminars focused on developments, standards and opportunities within the cruise tourism sector.  The BTB says these experiences are intended to strengthen Belize’s tourism workforce by connecting students and industry stakeholders with practical knowledge, international best practices and possible career paths.