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Now, for those not familiar, Fort Lauderdale is a city about 30 miles north of Miami - and this daily, year - round flight is sure to shake up the Miami Monopoly that American Airlines has enjoyed for decades. That means fares are likely to be forced down by this budget competition. Benefits of that will redound to domestic travellers, and tourists. Today, BTB's Director of Marketing, Karen Pike discussed Southwest's distinctive market niche:..

Karen Pike, Director of Marketing - BTB
"So ever since we had the flight from Houston hobby with Southwest airlines start we have known Southwest has been interested in giving us a flight from Fort Lauderdale to Belize so we are finally pleased that all the meetings and discussions have now resulted in June 4th being the day that the inaugural flight will take place from Fort Lauderdale to Belize daily nonstop."

"So for Southwest airlines , Belize is a new international destination, they have created a lot of buzz in our country and they are looking for this flight from Fort Lauderdale to add to their own revenue stream to increase the popularity of their passengers wanting to come to Belize , for us in Belize ,what we see , we will have the Southwest effect , same as what we had in 2015 where the competitiveness of the rates that Southwest will offer should encourage more potential visitors to come to Belize."

"Southwest airlines is known for being low cost carrier , they also allow two passenger checked bags free, as well as other perks , in terms of changing tickets after you purchase , they are very competitive and they drive the competitive nature in all the other airlines, who compete in different locations with them."

And the new flight isn't the only reason that the BTB had to cheer today. They were taking a victory lap after The New York Times' included Belize in its annual list of 52 Places to Go in 2017. The article lists Placencia at spot #42, and the BTB boasts that this article is one of the most widely shared travel stories each year.

And, another US newspaper has nominated Belize in the latest 10 Best Readers' Choice Award contest. An expert panel of diving and Caribbean Travel experts selected Belize's Blue Hole as a contender for Best Caribbean Dive Site. Belize is one of 20 countries which have been nominated and Pike explained why it's an important distinction:

Karen Pike, Director of Marketing - BTB
"Some Caribbean experts, some global experts have nominated the blue hole to be on the Caribbean best diving site, so what has happened is that there is voting going on for the next 4 weeks through a specific website, USA Today where Belizeans, supporters and ambassadors of Belize can go online and vote for the Blue hole to be awarded such an award."

Reporter
"Now this site, aside whether or not Belize wins, it still there is a good hope to the country. Could you talk to us about that?"

Karen Pike, Director of Marketing - BTB
"So with other countries that has been nominated as well, Belize is now seeing as a contender in something such prestigious as this having the best diving site in the Caribbean. So for other Caribbean islands we are seen as one of the top destinations in the region."

Voting ends on Monday, January 30th, and the winners will be announced on Friday, February 3rd. You can find the link to vote at 7newsbelize.com.