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Valerie Woods-Smith, former Director of the Belize Tourism Board and
Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Tourism and Youth, has accepted a
position as Executive Director of the Protected Area Conservation Trust
(PACT) effective December
1st, 1999. Her
decision was made after a trial period as Permanent Secretary which she
found was not the "hands on" challenge she was accustomed to. Her days
were filled with meetings and much paper work. "I like to be directly
involved with what I'm doing," stated Ms. Woods-Smith. "With PACT, I get
the advantages of still working with tourism except now I'm involved with
the actual product and how it benefits the community," she
added.
She will be working with the Belize Tourism Board
again, only on a different level now-with PACT projects. PACT, a
relatively new organization is only four years old. Their monies come
directly from tourism by way of the $7.50 "green" departure tax. The
organization is supported by legislation and all monies are channeled
back into areas such as eco-tourism, archaeology, protected areas and
environmental awareness. PACT provides funds to support conservation and
promote environmentally sound management of Belize's natural and cultural
resources. Their long-term goal is to support and facilitate activities
which ensure the sustainable use of these as well.
The San Pedro Sun
congratulates Ms. Woods-Smith on her new position and feels confident she
will give PACT the same enthusiasm she gave to promoting our
"jewel".
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