San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye – November 5, 2026: Controversy is swirling over the government’s unannounced preliminary plans to potentially close and relocate the John Greif II Airport, a critical transportation hub serving the popular tourist destination of Ambergris Caye, after top private sector representatives revealed they were never included in consultation processes for the high-stakes redevelopment project. Efren Perez, President of the Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA), confirmed this week that neither his organization nor the Belize Chamber of Commerce, two of the most influential business bodies representing thousands of tourism operators, small business owners and service workers across the island, were granted a seat at the planning table, despite a 2022 prime minister-appointed task force that explicitly reserved seats for private sector stakeholders to advise on northern Ambergris Caye development. Perez emphasized that the unvetted relocation plan carries far-reaching, unquantified economic risks for the island’s core tourism-driven economy, and noted that no outreach has been extended to local residents either, who would bear the brunt of changes to accessibility, property values and daily commutes tied to the airport’s move. In response to the lack of official engagement, BTIA has launched its own community consultation series: a preliminary gathering with central San Pedro stakeholders was held earlier this week, with a second session scheduled for next week to collect feedback from residents and business operators based on the northern stretch of the caye. The association says it will compile all collected public input to present a unified set of recommendations to national government officials, demanding formal, inclusive multi-stakeholder negotiations before any irreversible decisions on the airport’s future are finalized.