The purpose of BETA is to promote environmentally responsible tourism, to be sensitive to the impact of tourism, to promote pollution prevention and environmental concerns, to continually observe the effects of all the above and to promote education for locals and visitors.

BETA was formed on Earth Day, 1993, by a small group of members of the Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA).  BETA serves as an advocate for conservation and ecologically-sound development of tourism within BTIA and Belize.

BETA encourages BTIA and the government of Belize to work together so that Belize will continue to be an ecotourism destination and a model for other countries of  how to protect a country's environment, its natural beauty, and its resources while welcoming  visitors from all parts of  the world.

BETA's vision is to be an organization for anyone concerned about protecting the beautiful jewel of Belize from the dangers of unharnessed development.

Under the umbrella of BTIA, BETA cooperates with and has the support of the Ministry of Tourism and the Environment, the Belize Tourist Board, the Belize Audubon Society, the Belize Zoo, Center for Environmental Studies, and Programme for Belize.

Ecotourism and Community

BETA recognizes that an important part of sustainable tourism is community involvement and benefit. One of Belize's greatest natural resources is its people, who represent a wide variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds.  BETA is committed to helping Belizeans learn ways to benefit from tourism without adversely affecting their cultures and lifestyles.  Encouragement of the arts, crafts, and traditional healing industries can help to achieve these objectives.