WHITE PAPER: BELIZE: The Case for National Economic Growth & Capacity Building Through Public-Private-Partnership with the Tourism & Hospitality Sector

ON JULY 17, 2014, THIS WHITE PAPER WAS PRESENTED TO THE PRIME MINISTER OF BELIZE, BY ECO-FUTURES BELIZE / COLDWELL-BANKER/ BUY BELIZE / MANGO SPRINGS DEVELOPMENT : IN SUPPORT OF PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP CREATION WITH HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY FOR ACHIEVEMENT OF MILLENNIUM GOALS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ON THE OCCASION OF: "The Prime Minister’s Business Forum 2014 'Strengthening Partnership for Growth' " TITLE: The Case for National Economic Growth & Capacity Building Through Public-Private-Partnership with the Tourism & Hospitality Sector/ An Opportunity to Achieve Multi-Dimensional Economic & Development Goals Addressed to: PM Hon. Dean O. Barrow and Amparo M. Masson, Director, Public-Private Sector Dialogue INTRO: Belize is in a period of unprecedented growth and development that in recent years has countered the trend of recessing global economies and has “consistently exceeded regional averages”. UNDP, Belize, MDG Report 2013. However, this growth “has not necessarily translated into tangible reduction in the poverty levels, implying that tackling poverty necessitates a multidimensional approach…” ibid. As the Honorable Prime Minister pointed out last year: “(Belize’s) bedrock pro-poor policies has received much attention. But in a larger sense, this focus is also pro-business…these programs are largely financed by external inflows.” In such an atmosphere of growth, government and the private sector must prospect and germinate enabling environments through innovative and dynamic public-private partnerships as a vehicle to sustainable development and the achievement of development goals. The Belize Horizon 2030 report highlights the need for Economic Resilience through Education For Development. As the Honorable Prime Minister out: “Government and the private sector can collaborate in taking the necessary next steps to sustain economic growth in the immediate, intermediate and long term.” This White Paper looks at the socio-economic benefit and development progress created by the Buy Belize marketing campaign, and through regression analytics makes the case that public private partnerships with specific sectors such as eco-tourism, LID master planned development and hospitality education institutions can be leveraged as a catalyst to sustainable development, resilient economic growth, MDG and Belize Horizon 2030 goal achievement. Executive Writer: Frank Costanzo Connelly, PGI (United Nations Global Compact Member) for Eco-Futures Belize, Coldwell Banker, Buy Belize and Mango Springs DevelopmentLeia menos