Minister of Tourism Responds to Aftermath of Tropic Air Hijacking

In the wake of the recent hijacking, Minister of Tourism Anthony Mahler says his ministry will be working to do some damage control. Last month, a Tropic Air plane was hijacked mid-flight by Akinyela Taylor, a U.S. national. The incident resulted in three men injured, including two passengers and a pilot, before the hijacker was fatally shot. Since then, the government has put in place various security measures to prevent any further occurrences. For the first time, Minister Mahler weighed in on the situation and emphasized that his ministry is now tasked to ensure that this isolated incident does not reflect the overall safety and hospitality of Belize. 

Anthony Mahler, Minister of Youth and Sports: “We were a part of the entire discussion from the whole thing started and we’re in constant communication with the security people .Then we had a National Security Council meeting that we were invited to on that same morning after the tragic event happened. But I want to say thank you to the pilot and to all the people onboard who withstood that madness.”

Reporter: Do you think it may have any negative impacts on the tourism industry or sent any negative message ?
Anthony Mahler, Minister of Youth and Sports:  “Well anything like that has an impact. It will and so we have to do damage control, we have to send out the proper messaging that Belize is still a safe destination compared to many and that it’s still worthwhile coming to Belize.”

The hijacking incident made international headlines and resulted in immediate changes in security measures at the country’s various aerodromes.