3 Eco-Champions Made Belize A Sustainable Destination Leader

If you’re asking what’s the easiest way to support conservation while finding things to do in Belize? You already did it, you chose Belize!

The reason for choosing this destination to host the first World Sustainable Travel & Hospitality Awards in 2024 is apparent. It also won the title of World’s Leading Sustainable Destination 2024. This achievement comes from both public and private efforts. Together, they create a strong voice for Belize’s eco-tourism.

We are now a model for responsible travel. To celebrate, we are highlighting three Belizean winners from the 21 categories in the 2024 World Sustainable Travel & Hospitality Awards. These winners will help make your trip to Belize better for you, our communities, and our planet.

1. Che’il Mayan Chocolate

Winner: Leading Sustainable Cultural Heritage Project

Heritage means something you inherit. For the Maya of Belize, it is the food of the gods—cacao. Once the world’s best horticulturists, the Maya practiced agroforestry like their ancestors. One of the hardest crops to grow, the Maya have grown cacao for centuries. Today, the Maya connect
with their living culture by creating a sustainable future in one sweet package!

The cacao pod is a bit thinner than an American football and weighs less than a pound. Each pod carries a rich history. It shows that Belize was one of the first places to grow cacao, dating back to 600 BCE.

“We sell chocolate through culture, and we sell culture through chocolate,” says Julio Saqui of Che’il Mayan Chocolate. His company won the 2024 Leading Sustainable Cultural Heritage Project award.

Julio is a second-generation cacao farmer. He started working with chocolate when he was 13. In 2010, he and his wife Heliodora started Che’il to honor their Mopan Maya heritage. The gentle hand-crafted process is not the only important aspect of their business. The focus is on the people and involving the next generation. This includes empowering small farmers for a community-based business and employing six Maya youths from Maya Centre.

“I want to see more young Maya people get involved; not just in cacao, but in the culture; continuing to practice our culture and its rituals. They can, through chocolate.”

Today, Che’il still processes chocolate the traditional way. At least 40% of the workers make the product by hand in the comal. They crush it using volcanic stones, just like on a metate.

Plus, nothing goes to waste. The husks turn into compost, and they sell the oil as cacao butter. Producers make extra pulp into wine, and people use the outer shells to brew a tea rich in antioxidants. How sweet is that?

2. Turneffe Atoll Sustainability Association (TASA)

Winner: Sustainable Marine Conservation Initiative

After a decade of contributing to sustainable fisheries, the non-profit co-manager of Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve – the largest and most ecologically diverse coral atoll in the Western Hemisphere—can officially call their conservation efforts in Belize award-winning. The best part? Every visitor can tote the same bragging points.

This site is thirty miles long and ten miles wide. The reef acts like glue, connecting all of the islands together. Belize’s famous reef system attracts snorkelers, divers, and anglers.

Entrance fees go directly to the reserve’s conservation and daily management. The Turneffe Atoll Sustainability Association (TASA) manages this task. TASA is not just about innovation and teamwork. They work for the citizens of Belize, putting sustainability initiatives into action every day. They mix old ways of engaging with new technology, which helps to change marine conservation and make management more effective.

For example, “Visit Turneffe” is the first app for a Marine Protected Area (MPA) in Belize. It makes it easier to access Turneffe. The app includes citizen-science wildlife reports, hotel bookings on the atoll, and digital entrance tickets.

The biodiversity monitoring and research team works hard all year. They treat corals with new research from the University of Belize’s Environmental Research Institute (ERI). They also relocate turtle hatchlings to ensure their safe release. The team studies over 500 fish species, 65 types of stony corals, and large animals like manatees.

Having “boots on the ground” looks different when you’re 30+ miles east of the mainland. Radar systems and drone patrols help enforce catch-and-release sportfishing. They protect five key spawning sites. They also support sustainable fisheries for spiny lobster and queen conch. “MPAs can generate sustainable revenues for their management,” said Valdemar Andrade, Executive Director of TASA.

Whether you visit Turneffe to explore the trail on Calabash Caye or snorkel Belize’s first trail, there is much to enjoy. You can also dive around the Witconcrete, a sunken World War II ship that is now an artificial reef.

All guests should embrace TASA’s philosophy of “discover, learn, embrace.” You have 365,000 acres of a marine playground to explore.

3. Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA)

Winner: Leading Sustainable Community Engagement Programme

The Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA) represents over 200 members as the largest private tourism group in Belize. The BTIA has 10 chapters in every district and key tourism areas. To support both industry growth and environmental care, efforts can include marketing, promoting sustainable practices, and engaging with communities nationwide.

The BTIA has worked on starting a project to create ‘The Next Generation of Marine Conservationists,’ as well as establishing leading tourism exchanges between two countries. They also work with local partners on infrastructure, like Caye Caulker’s first Tourist Information Center (TIC).

You are not just visiting another country in Central America when you visit Belize. You are entering a world of rich heritage, community-focused sustainability, and deep respect for nature in Belize.

Executive Director Linette Canto was thrilled to receive the award. She said, “We keep working on our sustainability goals. We focus on education and training for the tourism community. This work has been going on for 39 years.”