new international airport

[KENNETH SCHMITT]

I’ve read that there’s a new international airport being built in Placencia, and that a Four Seasons Hotel may be built there as well. Is this true? If so, does that mean that Placencia will become the center of tourism in Belize?

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

Ken,

I just did a Google and did not see anything about the Four Seasons and Placencia, so am curious where you heard that.

There are more rumors than reality about the airport in Placencia. If you do a search on http://www.BelizeForum.com website and look up this topic you’ll see a long thread of history and on going issues since the original airport developer is an individual who did not obtain the necessary permits to build an airport in Belize. There is also a great post on the San Pedro Scoop blogsite. Rebecca Coutant interviewed key managers at the current international airport and several of the large airlines on this topic. They all say that from an economic standpoint it doesn’t make sense economically to open a second international airport in Belize. But realtors on the peninsula love to talk about the international airport and how easy it will be to get to Placencia if and when it opens. But even if there was one, that wouldn’t make Placencia the center of tourism for Belize. It would increase tourism there, though. There are only 3000 residents on the peninsula. Most of the resorts on the peninsula are boutique resorts. Realtors on the peninsula have told me that there aren’t many large tracts of open land available on the peninsula to allow for large developments or hotels.

I don’t know whether a Four Seasons deal is in the future for Placencia. I don’t think a Four Seasons resort in Placencia would alter tourism preferences in Belize that much. Most people who come to Belize and return repeatedly do so because they prefer going somewhere where there aren’t large chain hotels. Belize will never be like Cancun since the country is just too small, with only 330,000 people in the country. Most resorts here are privately held boutique resorts. We could use a few name brand resorts so that there would be better conference capabilities in the country. The Four Seasons was supposed to work with Leonardo di Caprio to build a resort on his island near Ambergris Caye a few years ago. That fell through. Then they were supposed to build a resort on the golf resort island of Caye Chapel. That also fell through. So I won’t hold my breath on the Four Seasons resort in Placencia, although it would be possible near the entrance to the peninsula. I was there last November and none of the realtors mentioned the Four Seasons to me at that time. They love to brag about that kind of resort.

Not everyone likes Placencia. Some visitors adore the cayes. Some love Placencia’s beaches. And others love the Maya Mountains. Each of these areas are unique and draw different types of tourists.

What is going to change in Placencia soon, though, is that Norwegian Cruiselines will complete their facilities at Hatch Caye, off the shore of the Placencia Peninsula. That will have a major impact and will increase tourism markedly. But the ship tourists will only be spending money for day activities, not overnight stays. It will be interesting to see how it changes the feel of Placencia Village. The expats who live there are not at all happy about this, since the villages will be over-run with tourists during the days ships bring tourists. But the locals are hoping it will result in more jobs for them.a

[KENNETH SCHMITT]

Thanks, Ann. I don’t remember where I read about the Four Seasons. In every country where tourism is still in the early stages of development, there are lots of rumors, so I’m not surprised about this. Your evaluation about what’s economically and physically possible in Belize make sense. Those are all reasons why we’re so interested in this country. We like small and boutique.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

Small and boutique is definitely what you get in Belize. We actually do need a few big hotels in the country, mainly for conference centers. But other than that, most expats who live here would flee if Belizean favorite spots started to look even remotely like Cancun.

[KENNETH SCHMITT]

According to the website of The Placencia (see http://theplacencia.com/airport) they are building a private international airport in Riversdale (see http://theplacencia.com/vision/master-plan), where owners will even be able to have private jet hangars. They’re calling it the Placencia International Airport. Considering the backing of this project, it looks to me as if this airport is becoming a reality. The runway can be seen on Google Earth.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

Ken,

All of the links you are reading are those of the developer building the airport. He is extremely controversial and has had problems in the past. Check out the Belize Forum to follow the historical thread on this project and the developer. But here are a few more recent, less political articles that will give you a better perspective on this project:

– http://www.sanpedroscoop.com/2014/12/international-flights-land-placencia-international-airport.html
– http://www.sanpedroscoop.com/2014/09/belize-airline-discussion-slow-season-ticket-prices-cruise-ships-placencia-international-airport.html. Read down near to the bottom to get the review of why economics aren’t compelling enough for airlines to split flights between Belize City International And Placencia’s new airport.

That being said, the new Placencia airport can cater to private jets. Or if the fellow who owns The Placencia, and the airport, manages to work out a deal with an Italian discount airline company that wants to bring tourists directly to Placencia, that would be a good option. But the above articles give the rational for why American Airlines, United and Delta do not believe there are adequate financial advantages to splitting their flights between the two airports.

This is a topic that has been debated as long as I’ve lived in Belize. Those of us who live here seldom pay much attention to what developers advertise. We wait to see what they actually build. We have seen many failed projects in Belize over the years. On my last trip to Placencia, about six months ago, I listened to at least three couples tell me sad stories about the properties they bought in Sanctuary. Once they moved to Belize and started to get ready to built on their property, they realized that it’s over an hour’s drive to a grocery store, and that there is not a “community” living there, or any of the general conveniences within easy reach at this time. They tried to sell their property, but have been unable to do so to date. So now they are all renting in Placencia and trying to get their money out of the Sanctuary properties so that they can build in Placencia, where there is an established community.

[THOMAS LOCKS]

Hi,

Belize will be my future home. Within the next three weeks, the fifths trip is planned.

The construction / completion of the new International Airport near Riverside came to a stop in 2008. The runway needs one more layer and is done. The nearby Hotel / Casino complex is also unfinished. A new residential zone at the northern tip of the lagoon is making progress.
If the new airport makes sense is an open question, the future will tell. As per the current mandatory requirements of the FAA, US carriers will not be permitted to land at that new airport because one of their requirements states that there have to be a minimum of 500 hospital beds within a range of 50 (?) miles. European, Canadian, Central and South American airlines are not subject to that restriction.
I got these information from local residents and local and US commercial pilots.
Thomas

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

Thanks for that update, Thomas. I read that private jets have landed at the airstrip. I think that is the direction the Placencia International airport will go, with wealthy private jets coming in. They are hoping to get some charter trips from Europe, as well. But as you point out, it is not a good fit for American airliners. It will be many, many years before there is a hospital capacity of 500 beds within 50 miles of Placencia. There are only about 3000 residents on the entire Placencial peninsula. At this time there is no hospital nearby. So in the case of any type of plane accident, there would be no place nearby to take injured passengers. That is a very important point that will prevent major airline carriers from committing to fly into Placencia.

[JAMES W.]

The developer did have permits but built a longer runway than the permit allowed. Since there was a significant number of Canadian investors in this project, the Ontario Securities Department launched a law suit against the developer halting progress on the project.
It would be everyone’s interest if you, Ann, would interview some of the many satisfied buyers at Sanctuary or Kanantik resorts, so that a more rounded, non-biased critique can be presented.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

International Living does not recommend developments. Nor do we talk about the developments where expats live. But when I hear numerous complaints about a specific development I will note that in this forum only. I did recently meet several unhappy investors from Sanctuary when I visited Placencia. They were quite vocal and could not sell their property at Sanctuary, which put them in a bind. That is why I noted this on the forum.

I know the property at Sanctuary is very beautiful. But if there is not a true community, with multiple handy grocery stores, doctors, banks within easy reach, then it is not a community that will be of interest to many International Living members who are looking for a fulltime place to live.

[JAMES W.]

IL does recommend developments through their consultants who have a membership fee to join. They recommend countries and developments that will go forward and are investment opportunities. These do not have shopping centers, hospitals, or banks yet. Some IL members get in on developments at the start, some at the middle and others want in when fully developed. You can’t make statements on what IL members want or don’t want since you have not conducted any surveys of members to determine their needs. So some IL members are investors, some want to relocate in the future and others want to relocate immediately. Each needs are different.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

James,

You are talking about Pathfinders, not International Living. They are a separate company with Agora that is focused on real estate investments. Pathfinders is complementary to IL, though. And, yes, they do recommend developments because they have done extensive due diligence to check out each developer or realtor before letting them advertise through Pathfinders, and come to the IL conferences. But Pathfinder’s focus is more geared towards investors.

You are right in that a smaller proportion of IL’s members are fortunate to be wealthy enough to be able to afford to invest overseas. But most of our members are on a tight cost of living budget. Many are trying to survive on Social Security. I can count on one hand how many questions I have received about buying for an investment in Belize. We correspondents typically pass those questions to the Pathfinders editors, Margaret Summerfield and Ronan McMahon. That is their area if expertise. We correspondents are not financial advisors.

In Belize, the only realtor/developer that’s approved by Pathfinders at this time is Boris Mannsfeld. He sells real estate in Placencia. As far as I know, Pathfinders has not given their stamp of approval to any other development in Belize. At one time a few other developers were on their approved list, but they are no longer on the approved list.

Please note that in my last response I mentioned that most of the IL members who contact me with questions are looking for a place to live, not to invest. So a new development community doesn’t work well for them. Just recently I was contacted by one member who bought at Orchid Bay during the last year and is regretting it. She did not understand how far it is to get to a basic grocery store. Orchid Bay, like Sanctuary, is in a lovely area. But in terms of living there full-time, it is pretty far removed from Corozal where she can find what she needs on a day to day basis.

And IL does conduct surveys of their members’ needs. We get feedback from member surveys before we prepare our presentations for upcoming conferences.

[Author]

Posts