Belize will host the Third International Conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations (RTD-III) in May 2009. The International Centre for Responsible Tourism-Belize (ICRT-Belize) is the Central American and Caribbean arm of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism-United Kingdom (ICRT-UK) and is the organization charged with the promotion and execution of RTD-III. The ICRT–Belize is an integral part of the growing family of ICRT’s in other parts of the word such as The Gambia, India, Germany, Canada and South Africa.
 
All ICRT branches share a common objective which is to work with the private sector, government and local communities to “take responsibility for achieving sustainable tourism, and to create better places for people to live in and for people to visit” wherever they are located.

The ICRT-Belize was established in April 2008 as a not-for-profit organization based in Belmopan City, Belize and having satellite offices in San Ignacio Town and Belize City. The ICRT-Belize provides policy advice, research and consultation on developing Responsible Tourism in Belize, the Caribbean and Central America. The Belize Tourism Board is the Diamond Sponsor for RTD-III.
 
The Third International Conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations (RTD-3) will be held in Belize’s capital city Belmopan in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, the Belize Tourism Board and other industry stakeholders. The venue for the event is the University of Belize’s Auditorium in the City of Belmopan, the nation’s capital city.

The Conference is being co-chaired Belize’s Ministry of Tourism and Professor Harold Goodwin of the ICRT of Leeds Metropolitan University, UK.  The Conference Agenda will focus on four themes, each particularly relevant to tourism in Belize and the immediate Caribbean and Central American regions. Belize is heavily dependent on tourism as its primary economic engine and receives just under 300,000 overnight visitors each year and 700,000 cruise passengers and is experiencing rapid coastal development for second homes.
 
The following topics were selected for this year’s conference:
1. Tourism and Local Economic Development.
2. Impacts of Tourism on the Marine and Coastal Zone in Belize and around the world
3. Impacts of Cruise Tourism in Belize and around the world.
4. Second homes, condominiums and their impact on local communities