Belize Officials Miffed at Miss Universe Pageant for Misinforming its Viewers

Belize Officials Miffed at Miss Universe Pageant for Misinforming its Viewers

BELIZE CITY, Belize, May 30 /PRNewswire/ -- On Monday evening, May 28th, 1 billion television viewers gathered around their TV sets to watch a new beauty crowned Miss Universe on the popular annual pageant. Unfortunately, viewers were also publicly misled during the program when Cozumel, Mexico was positioned as having the second largest barrier reef in the world.

As Mother Nature would have it, the Belize Barrier Reef is the second largest barrier reef in the world and the largest in the Western Hemisphere, spanning 185 miles long, hugging the entire coastline of the country. It is one of Belize's most prized assets and it draws close to three-quarters of a million tourists each year to the country.

"We, the people of Belize were aghast to hear such blatant misrepresentation of the facts, which is considered general knowledge by locals and international guests and visitors," stated Tracy Panton, Director of Tourism, Belize Tourism Board. "We would have expected that a proper fact check be done to avoid airing inaccurate information to such a large, world- wide audience. Belize takes great pride in its natural resources, which includes the Belize Barrier Reef, and our people expressed great disappointment and disapproval at the gross distortion and manipulation of the facts."

The Belize Barrier Reef was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Environmental Scientific Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1996. The Belize Barrier Reef is home to over 400 species of fish and 70 different types of coral. The reef forms a gigantic area of protected water, which has been a favorite of world-class divers, sports fishermen and snorkelers alike for years.

Ms. Panton explained, "In such a competitive tourism industry, it is quite disturbing when a national network airing a program that is televised worldwide makes a claim about another destination that is clearly false."

For more information on Belize and its second largest barrier reef in the world, visit www.travelbelize.org.

About Belize

Snuggled between Mexico to the north and Guatemala to the west and south, relaxed, English-speaking Belize is only a two-hour plane ride from the continental United States. Venture into a land rich in natural beauty and steeped in the magic of its Maya past. Renowned for the largest barrier reef in the western hemisphere, pristine waters, exotic marine and wildlife, lush unspoiled landscapes, and superb diving, Belize is Mother Nature's Best Kept Secret. For more information on Belize please visit www.travelbelize.org or call 1-800-624-0686.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Belize Tourism Board

CONTACT: Robyn Schweitzer, +1-212-286-9339, or Kristin Degnan,
+1-973-627-8180, both of Richartz, Fliss, Clark & Pope

Web site:

http://www.travelbelize.org/

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