WestJet has begun a new non-stop weekly service between Calgary, Canada and Belize under its seasonal schedule for the 2017-2018 winter period.

The flights leave Calgary every Friday morning at 9:15 for the Philip Goldson International Airport, with the return flights at 3:45 p.m.

WestJet inaugurated its first flight from Toronto, Canada to Belize in 2016. And tourism officials say the WestJet service from Calgary is a resounding confirmation that Belize continues to be a growing, viable and a must-visit destination in Central America and the Caribbean.

“Canadian arrivals to Belize accounted for six percent of total overnight arrivals in Belize in 2016,” Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation Manuel Heredia said.

“That percentage share is expected to rise this year with the increased traffic from the direct flights from Canada to Belize, introduced in the latter part of last year and, of course, with the start of this new flight,” Heredia said.

And according to the Belize Tourism Board’s Director of Tourism, Karen Bevans, the new flight will help with the different areas such as Vancouver and the others that were unable to get a direct connection into Toronto.

“So this makes it much more convenient for a large market in Canada and to open up the opportunities for Belize even more,” she said.

“We expect that the size of the Canadian market will only continue to increase and hopefully we can expect at least 10 percent of our arrivals with the addition of this flight,” Bevans said.