Foreign Direct Investment In Belize.ppt

Foreign Direct Investment In Belize Presented by: Karima A. Morris Introduction Belize is located in Central America, to the south of Mexico and to the north and west of Guatemala Belize is the only Latin American country where English is the official language Belize has a bilateral relationship (both Central American and Caribbean) because of its strategic geographical location Belize’s Major Socio Economic Statistics Statistics collected from .bz Standard of Living Differences in quality of life reflects and shaped patterns of social inequality in Belize. Access to food, housing, health care, and other necessary or desired goods and services varied most markedly between rural and urban areas, as well as by socioeconomic status. In 1984 the average salary of an employee was Bz$6,000. By 2002, the population below the poverty line was 33.5%. Almost two-thirds of the working population earned between Bz$3,000 and Bz$9,000, while 20 percent earned less than Bz$3,000(). Belize: A Multiethnic and Multicultural Society Investment Sectors Tourism Agriculture International Financial Services Furniture Manufacturing FDI by Sector 2004 Graph collected from Beltraide, .bz Tourism Belize tourism industry is the primary industry that has demonstrated the most success, mainly because of its diverse and high quality attractions. Belize’s success in tourism is due in part to special branches of tourism: eco, adventure, cultural, and archeological tourism. Agricultural Industry The agricultural industry which consists of citrus, citrus production, bananas, sugar, and beans, provides 71% of the country’s foreign exchange earnings. Maries Sharp’s – Belizes recognized exporter of hot pepper sauce Green and Black’s is a foreign investment company based in Belize, and is a top notch specialty food manufacturer Aqua cultural Industry The majority of investments in Belize aquaculture is in shrimp farming. Bluecadia is a U.S. aqua cultural company that specializes in shrim