PUNTA GORDA, Thurs. July 22, 2021– Today, Thursday, July 22, the Ministry of Tourism and Diaspora Relations officially inaugurated the new Toledo Welcome Center in Punta Gorda, which was constructed under phase II of the Sustainable Tourism and Development Project. This project was funded by the Inter-American Development Bank in collaboration with the Government of Belize.

According to the Minister of Tourism, Hon. Anthony Mahler, the first portion of the center will be used primarily by the women’s groups in the area as a central location where they can sell items they’ve made. Florentina Chun of the Toledo Fajina Women’s Group spoke on how beneficial this assistance will be to her women’s group. “When Covid came, we were not selling and not finding any income… So that’s why now we really appreciate getting back our new building. This is where we sell our products. And that helps us a lot with our livelihood and with our children. We’re sending them to school. So we greatly appreciate that we get this building again,” she said.

The center also has kiosks that can be rented to vendors. It is furnished with benches and will offer tourists a prime location where they can witness all that Toledo has to offer. The new Welcome Center is expected to serve as a melting pot for food, culture, music and even handicrafts.