Expanded FIT lineup in Belize, e-brochure, webinar for advisors (1/30)

Avanti Introduces New Independent Travel Vacations, Resorts, Hotels, and Experiences in Belize; Partnership with Belize Tourism Board, New E-brochure, Webinar for Advisors

 

Portland, Oregon, January 22, 2024 – Wholesale FIT* tour operator Avanti Destinations has expanded its offering for advisors’ independent travel clients going to Belize with two new customizable vacations, nine new hotels and resorts, and seven new tours and experiences.  Avanti has also partnered with the Belize Tourism Board to create a new 32-page e-brochure for advisors to share with their clients, “Belize: Where Adventure Meets Paradise”, available on Avanti’s advisor portal at https://www.flipsnack.com/779977E569B/belize-ebrochure/full-view.html .

 

Advisors can register for a webinar jointly hosted by Belize Tourism and Avanti on Tuesday, January 30 at 1pm Eastern, 10am Pacific https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/4841057773162648407; they can also access a recording of a 15 minute Belize booking guide https://content.avantidestinations.com/videos/Ep170-Belize_Beyond_Ambergis.mp4 on Avanti’s advisor portal. 

 

Avanti sells custom-crafted independent travel vacations exclusively through travel advisors, not directly to consumers. 

 

In Belize, Avanti offers a total of four customizable F.I.T. vacations, 42 three-, four- and five-star hotels, lodges and resorts, and 35 tours and experiences, including the latest additions. Among the new accommodations are two five-star resorts, both on Ambergris Caye island, three three-star lodges located in or next to nature reserves in the Cayo District, and two four-star resorts in or near Placencia – one on a private island within a marine reserve. 

 

Beach, reef, rainforest, soft adventure, Maya temples, indigenous culture 

 

“Belize consistently ranks among our top sellers in Latin America,” said Paul Barry, CEO of Avanti Destinations.  “The combination of palm-fringed beaches, calm Caribbean waters protected by the second largest living barrier reef in the world, ancient Maya temples in the rainforest, soft adventure activities, such as ziplining and cave tubing, and fascinating ethnic groups like the Garifuna, makes Belize a warm weather getaway with something for every kind of F.I.T. client. We are particularly pleased to introduce two experiences that give insight into the traditional cultures of the Garifuna people and the descendants of the great Maya civilization.

 

“Adding to the appeal of Belize is that the US dollar is widely accepted and, as a former British territory [British Honduras], English is one of the major languages. Most of our Belize bookings combine the rainforest with the beach and reef.  The average duration of a Belize stay is seven days, combining time on the beach with time exploring Maya sites, waterfalls, wildlife and caves in the rainforest,” noted Barry.

 

New tours and experiences

 

Of the seven newest tours and experiences in Belize, five are private, two are shared. 

 

Four are in the Cayo District: a seven-hour private tour in the Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve (Cayo) of a cave system called Actun Tunichil Muknal (Cave of the Stone Sepulchre), a sacred place to the ancient Maya where ceremonies of human sacrifice took place; the seven-hour private cave tubing and zipline tour with lunch starts where clients float on inner tubes through the cave system once occupied by the Maya on the Caves Branch River, then are taken to a rainforest canopy zipline course featuring a beginner’s run (150 feet long) plus six longer ones with scenic karst limestone cliffs in the background; for wildlife-lovers, a shared six-hour jungle pontoon boat waterfall adventure tour with lunch; private nine-hour Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve tour with lunch in the largest (300 square miles) and oldest protected forest area in Belize, boasting the highest waterfall in Central America (1,600 ft). One of the new lodges is in this reserve, perched by a waterfall. 

 

Two of the new tours are in Placencia, in the southern part of the country: a private seven-hour Living Maya Experience and Nim li Punit tour takes clients to a Kekchi Maya family’s home furnished with all natural materials where they can help prepare and partake of a traditional meal, then visit the ancient Maya archeological site, Nim li Punit, known for its 26 intricately-carved stone stellae; shared all-day shared excursion to a picture-perfect private island 20 miles off the coast, Ranguana Caye, where music, a beach barbeque, kayaking, paddleboarding, snorkeling, and other activities await.

 

From Dangriga or Hopkins, center of Garifuna culture, Avanti offers a new seven-hour private Garifuna cultural and culinary adventure. One of Belize’s prominent ethnic groups, the Garifuna are descendants of the indigenous Carib-Arawak people and Afro-Caribbean people. On this tour, clients will learn about their history and musical and culinary traditions, including how to make a typical meal with coconut-based soup, catch of the day, pounded plantains, and dessert.

 

Two new customizable independent vacations

 

Avanti’s recommended vacations in Belize range in duration from eight to ten days.  All of the company’s vacations are completely customizable to include additional nights, tours and activities, transfers, and other destinations. 

 

The two new Belize FIT vacations each include two of the new tours and excursions featuring soft adventure, cultural, historical, and gastronomic experiences. More can be added.

• Cayo & The Coast – eight days/seven nights in Placencia, San Ignacio and other locations in the Cayo District for clients looking for soft adventure, ancient Maya temples, wildlife spotting, and beach time.  Included: the new private 7-hour cave tubing and zipline tour with lunch; private nine-hour tour of 75-acre Caracol – the largest known ancient Maya site in Belize — with its 141-foot high Sky Palace, deep in the rainforest; visit to the ancient Maya city of Xunantunich; the new all-day shared Ranguana Caye private tropical island excursion; private transfers; choice of accommodations.
• Undiscovered Belize – nine days/eight nights in Punta Gorda, Dangriga, and Hopkins where the emphasis is on getting to know the cultures of today’s Maya and Garifuna peoples, as well as providing beach, reef, and soft adventure activities. Included: small group tour of Maya temples at Lubaantun and Blue Creek, and swimming inside the famous Hokeb Ha Cave; small group half-day snorkel and reef tour to see coral, seahorses, turtles, rays at the port of Honduras Marine Reserve; private jaguar reserve and chocolate tour at the 160-acre Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and a nearby cacao farm; new shared cave tubing and zipline tour with lunch at St. Herman’s National Park; new four-hour shared Garifuna cultural and culinary adventure with lunch; private transfers; choice of accommodations.

 

For more information on independent travel in Belize and other Central and South America countries, or to book custom-crafted, multi-destination FIT travel 365 days a year throughout Europe, Asia, North Africa, the Middle East, the South Pacific, or Central and South America, log onto the recently revamped advisor portal https://book.avantidestinations.com or call 1-800-422-5053 to speak with an expert travel consultant.   

 

Since 1981, Avanti Destinations has been selling independent travel products and custom-crafted vacations in 57 countries in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Asia, the South Pacific, and Central and South America exclusively through travel advisors. The Portland, Oregon-based wholesale tour operator offers a wide range of FIT components to travel advisors only, including air, rail, rental cars, hotels, sightseeing/attractions, transfers and hard-to-find experiential travel options.  Avanti specializes in hand-picked, locally-owned hotels in both large and small cities and in connecting all the pieces of complex, multi-destination itineraries. The company also creates complete packages for custom groups of 15-100 passengers. For more information: https://book.avantidestinations.com.