A pressing housing affordability crisis is emerging in Belize’s tourism-dependent communities, prompting calls for government intervention. Gabriel Zetina, UDP caretaker for Belize Rural South, has advocated for comprehensive rental regulation legislation to address soaring housing costs that threaten workforce stability.
Speaking at a Tuesday press conference, Zetina highlighted the particular challenges facing working-class families migrating to San Pedro for employment opportunities in the thriving tourism sector. “Many people coming to San Pedro are the working class. They migrate from Belize to here, again tying back to tourism, they come to work here,” Zetina explained, emphasizing how escalating rental prices are creating unsustainable living conditions that could undermine the local economy.
The proposed solution involves creating formal regulatory frameworks through either a Property Act or Rent Act. “We need to start seeing if we can create a draft or a bill to regulate the rent fees. It has to be done,” Zetina stated with urgency. “If we can somehow create legislation to address this issue, I think that will be the first step for us to regulate it.”
These calls for intervention coincide with concerning economic indicators from the Statistical Institute of Belize. The December 2025 Consumer Price Index recorded a national inflation rate of 0.3%, with housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels representing the primary drivers. Rental prices specifically increased by 0.8% compared to the previous year, compounding financial pressures on island residents.
Local communities report that these escalating costs are creating severe affordability challenges, potentially destabilizing the essential workforce that sustains San Pedro’s critical tourism industry. The situation represents a growing tension between economic development in tourist destinations and housing accessibility for the workers who support these economies.