BELIZE CITY, Mon. Oct. 29, 2018– Ever since the Mexican president-elect, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, made the announcement that he would fight poverty in his country and would convert Chetumal into a commercial free zone, Belizeans in the Corozal Free Zone and elsewhere in the country have noted the announcement with trepidation.

The Opposition People’s United Party (PUP) issued a press release lambasting the government for its silence on the matter of the Mexican president-elect’s announcement.

This morning, Prime Minister Dean Barrow, at a press conference, outlined government’s intention to set in motion a master plan for the Corozal Free Zone and the wider Corozal District, which government is planning to turn into a tourist destination after putting in place some of the necessary infrastructure.

“It is a development that GOB takes seriously,” Barrow said today, “But our analysis convinces us that there are implements in our toolkit sufficient to counter the danger; and that in any event we should be careful not to overstate that danger and go into panic mode.”

Barrow said that he has been able to confirm from Belize’s Ambassador to Mexico, HE Oliver del Cid, that the Mexican president-elect “is certainly not looking to harm Belize.”

Barrow announced a master plan and re-purposing for the Corozal Free Zone, which will become possible with government’s consultation with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

“And in fact, the Technical Assistance project we signed with the IDB is actually titled ‘Support for Export-Led Development in the Corozal District including the Corozal Free Zone’. The London company, Vivid Economics, with long experience around the world in assisting Free Zones and special economic areas to take advantage of trade realities and opportunities, is heading the project,” Barrow announced.

Barrow explained that government is planning a massive tourism thrust for the Corozal District which will include attracting “over 50% of Mexicans from Tulum down to Chetumal [4 municipalities, 1.5 million residents] who do not have a passport. The travel option out of Mexico for them is therefore only Belize. We will take advantage of this by extending the life of our current border crossing cards to Mexicans from 3 days to 7 days. The BTB is upgrading tourism facilities at Santa Rita and Cerros, and a tourism welcome center in Corozal Town is to commence under our Sustainable Tourism Project 2.”

“And Corozal Bay is fast becoming a dining and entertainment zone that can be packaged as a tour and marketed by the BTB,” he said.

Barrow added that Taiwan is to commit to infrastructure improvement for the Corozal District and have already sent their “Team Finalization of our draft PSA with Mexico.”

Barrow added, “This is something I had started way back in the time of President Calderon. It has been stalled most recently because of the NAFTA renegotiations. But those are now done and Belize will accordingly push for early conclusion of our PSA. In that regard, I have already invited the Mexican president-elect to come to Belize in mid-December for the SICA summit and I would be sure to press delivery of this long overdue PSA.”

Barrow said that Belize’s Ambassador to Cuba, HE Lou Anne Burns, is working on getting direct flights between Havana and Belize. The flights will be provided by Bahamas Air.

“And if this materializes, Annie has already agreed with a Havana tour company that a bus trip to the CFZ for shopping will be a part of the travel package for the Cuban tourists coming to Belize. As far as is humanly possible, therefore, we’ve got this apprehended new threat from Chetumal fully covered,” Barrow said.