PHOTO: San Pedro, Belize. (Photo by Brian Major)

The Belize Tourism Board (BTB) named Karen Bevans director of tourism effective April 9, moving quickly to fill the post following last month’s surprise resignation by previous tourism director Laura Frampton.

Bevans joins BTB following 25 years at Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL), where she most recently served as chief operations officer. She began at BTL as an administrative officer and through a series of promotions progressed to acting chief operations officer, before being named to her latest position.

 “Her impeccable reputation precedes her and we certainly expect to see great things from her,” said Manuel Heredia Jr., Belize’s minister of tourism, culture, and civil aviation. “The industry has been excelling in both overnight and cruise arrivals, and our rebranding of the country has given us great international exposure. We look forward to working with her as we continue to build momentum.”

Frampton, who is the daughter of Manuel Esquivel, a former prime minister of Belize, resigned in Match for “personal reasons” amid local allegations of financial difficulties at the government tourism agency. A BTB statement announcing Frampton’s departure recognized her “significant contributions” and “genuine concern for the industry and fiscal accountability” during her two years in the position.

Frequently referred to in Belize media reports by the surname Esquivel-Frampton, she also however faced allegations from members of BTB’s management team who said her leadership culminated in a multi-million dollar agency deficit.

Frampton’s proposal of “across-the-board budget cuts” at BTB reportedly led seven managers to request a meeting with Heredia to discuss their concerns. The group later announced “no confidence” in Frampton’s leadership. Bevans will be the fourth individual to hold the tourism director’s position since 2008.

Frampton’s two-year term came amidst continued growth in overnight arrivals for Belize, including a strong start to this year. Overnight arrivals for 2013 totaled 294,177 visitors, a 6.1 percent increase over 2012. Belize set a one-month record of 35,795 overnight arrivals in March 2013 an 11 percent increase over March 2012. Cruise passengers totaled 677, 350 in 2013, a 5.7 percent increase over 2012.