The Philip Goldson International Airport (PGIA) will reopen to external tourism on August 15, 2020, with the condition of a negative test result on arrival to Belize, announced June 25.
Arriving travelers can either present a negative PCR test result, taken within the 72 hours to travel, or pay for a rapid test within the airport at the traveler’s expense.
Belize will implement a two-step testing screening on arrival, including a negative COVID-19 test requirement. All arriving guests can either provide a negative COVID-19 test result, or submit to a rapid test on arrival. Subsequently, Belize’s airport will segment arrivals into two sections: tested and untested. Arriving travellers will need to show a proof of negative COVID-19 test will be vetted. Meanwhile, the untested arrivals will be subjected to a rapid test within the Belize airport at their own expense. After the testing process, all arrivals will need to be approved. Besides the test, you also need to go through the electronic thermostat scanners. Entry is permitted after both are approved.
Belizean citizens and residents on arrival will be not be given the option of a rapid test within the airport, but rather a PCR Test instead.
Tourism in Belize
Belize’s Philip Goldson International Airport (PGIA) reopens to external tourism on August 15, 2020.
In 2019, Belize’s latest statistics show that tourism surpassed the half a million visitor mark; the country welcomed a total of 503,177 overnight arrivals that year. This represents more than 100% growth in the sector in the past decade (up from 241,119 in 2010). Additionally, cruise arrivals also surpassed the 1 million mark again for the fourth conseutive year. Like many destinations driven by tourism, reopening the international airport in Belize is a critical milestone and ushers in a “new normal” for the time being. This includes COVID-19 test results as a pre-requisite for arrival in Belize, starting August 15.
