As the 2026 Centroamérica Travel Market (CATM) kicked off its trade floor this Tuesday, Belize made a bold entrance with one of the largest delegations in the event’s history, bringing 42 industry delegates and securing 18 exhibition booths as local hoteliers and tour operators work to convert networking conversations into tangible business contracts.
This year’s CATM hosts exhibition booths from six regional nations: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic. The annual event brings together local tourism stakeholders with international travel wholesalers and tour operators, all seeking to forge new partnerships that will translate into bookings for upcoming travel seasons. For Belize’s delegation, a key strategic focus is expanding into new buyer markets across Europe and Latin America, a goal that just got a major boost from recent aviation news.
Efren Perez, President of the Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA), noted that the just-announced new direct Frankfurt-to-Belize flight operated by Discover Airlines gives delegates a concrete, high-impact talking point when meeting with European travel agents. “Late yesterday there was the announcement of the Discover Airlines flight from Europe, from Frankfurt to Belize,” Perez explained. “That gives us a really good strength in terms of talking to these European agents that are here. For them to start to put our properties on their portfolio for the next season.”
Jose Alpuche, Belize’s Ambassador to Guatemala, echoed that sentiment, emphasizing that the new direct air route reshapes how European travel professionals view Belize as a destination. “In the past, we’ve always had Belize as a secondary market,” Alpuche said. “Now, with the new air links direct from Europe, Belize becomes a primary market for Europe. It’s very, very encouraging.”
Beyond European expansion, Belize’s tourism industry is also working to grow visitor numbers from within Central America, particularly during the region’s traditional slow travel seasons. However, Perez noted that Guatemalan tour operators have flagged ongoing border access challenges that threaten to undermine efforts to sell multi-destination travel packages across the region. He confirmed that he and Alpuche plan to engage with immigration and other relevant stakeholders to discuss targeted improvements to cross-border travel infrastructure and processes.
Harris Whitbeck, director of the Guatemalan Tourism Institute (InGuat), highlighted that cross-regional collaboration benefits all participating nations. “We would love to welcome more Belizean visitors to Guatemala. We would love for more Guatemalans to visit Belize because that’s where we start understanding each other,” Whitbeck said.
On the trade floor, individual operators are already reporting ambitious goals for the event. Patricia Ramirez, owner of Splash DMC, shared that she has 40 pre-scheduled one-on-one meetings booked over the two-day event and aims to finalize at least 10 new partnerships by the close of the trade floor. “That’s gonna be a success,” she said.
Jessica Mijangos, director of marketing and sales at Ka’ana Resort in San Ignacio and its sister property Itz’ana in Placencia, added that a core long-term goal for Belize’s delegation is reframing how international buyers perceive the destination. Many buyers currently categorize Belize as only a jungle destination or only a beach getaway, Mijangos explained, when the country actually offers both world-class experiences alongside a diverse range of other attractions.
The CATM trade floor remains open to delegates through Wednesday, with many more negotiations and partnership discussions expected before the event wraps.