Climate-compatible Tourism Project: Key Summary Findings from Policy Analysis

The analysis of 39 Belizean policy documents and laws reveals a significant gap in climate change integration, with only 15% of reviewed documents addressing climate impacts. While some frameworks support sustainable development, many are outdated or use vague language, failing to provide concrete steps for adaptation. The report recommends urgent revisions to key instruments, including the Sustainable Tourism Master Plan and the Coastal Zone Management Act, to integrate climate-smart measures and protect natural capital.

• A review of 39 documents, comprising 24 public policies, strategies, and plans and 15 laws, found that only 15% of these documents considered the impacts of climate change and basic options for addressing them.
• Many of the reviewed policy documents are outdated or rely on vague terminology regarding environmental sustainability and biodiversity protection without providing specific implementation steps.
• Several key tourism and environmental policies are identified as supporting sustainable development in general but failing to address climate change specifically. This includes the National Tourism Policy, Belize's National Policy on Responsible Tourism, and the National Sustainable Tourism Master Plan.
• The National Land use Policy Framework (2011) and the Climate Change Adaptation Policy (2000) are highlighted as strongly supporting climate-compatible tourism, though the latter is noted as being outdated.
• The report identifies a critical need to revise five specific instruments to better address climate risks: the Sustainable Tourism Master Plan, the Coastal Zone Management Act, the EIA Regulations, the Mangrove Regulations, and the Horizon 2030 Development Plan.

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (2014). Climate-compatible Tourism Project: Key Summary Findings from Policy Analysis. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Policy-brief_-policy-analysis.pdf

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. Climate-compatible Tourism Project: Key Summary Findings from Policy Analysis. 2014. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Policy-brief_-policy-analysis.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=Climate-compatible Tourism Project: Key Summary Findings from Policy Analysis |date=2014 |url=http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Policy-brief_-policy-analysis.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetwork2014climatecompatible, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{Climate-compatible Tourism Project: Key Summary Findings from Policy Analysis}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2014}, url = {http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Policy-brief_-policy-analysis.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }