Wednesday, May 9, 2007 – The Belize Hotel Association (BHA) is pleased to announce it has partnered with Orchid Travel Network to implement a booking engine on its website in an effort to increase room revenues for member hotels. Starting June 1, 2007, the Belize Hotel Association’s website www.belizehotels.org will be configured to receive online bookings from travel consumers.

The BHA’s website currently receives tremendous visibility, and the Orchid booking engine will allow for better sales conversion for this targeted traffic. Behind the significant amount of web visits daily are tangible sales leads - people who are trying to buy Belize travel services, but are unable to do so, simply because they are not being offered the option. With Orchid’s advanced booking system (built inBelize to international industry standards, and tailored to the needs of Belize’s travel industry), BHA can convert web visits into actual reservations for member properties.

“Progressive destinations are looking at new and innovative ways to improve their relative position in tourism markets”, comments Mariam Roberson, BHA President. “By facilitating online tourism sales, the BHA can literally turn website visitors into travelers, resulting in increased bookings and revenue for member hotels. We are proud to be the first organization in Belize to provide such a service, and we feel that this strategic move represents significant progress in responding to the hotel industry’s need for higher occupancy levels.”

Unquestionably, the Internet is a crucial component of the tourism marketing mix. The Internet has helped transform the Belize travel industry by educating the consumer and providing vast amounts of information about Belize’s various destinations, as well as different travel options. The growing number of Internet users that want to obtain tourism-related information, prepare their own itineraries, and purchase services online open up huge opportunities for Belize’s tourism stakeholders.

Of the 65 Belize hotels currently using Orchid, 35 are BHA members. BHA encourages its other members to sign on to Orchid, and also encourages all hotels that are not members (especially Orchid-enabled hotels) to become members of BHA in order to take advantage of this exciting new initiative as well as other important membership benefits. This partnership demonstrates how the Belize Hotel Association has taken an unprecedented step in utilizing advancements in online booking technology to generate measurable results for member hotels.

For more information about the Belize Hotel Association and to become a member, visit www.belizehotels.org or call 223-0669. For more information about Orchid Travel Network and to take part in this initiative visit www.orchidbelize.com or call 223-1302.