The country's official source of tourist information is the Belize Tourist Board (BTB; www.travelbelize.org ), with offices in Belize City, San Pedro and Punta Gorda, plus an information booth at the airport. The staff are generally quite helpful, and have maps, brochures and local information.

The Belize Tourist Industry Association (BTIA) also have numerous offices and representatives around the country and, although they are really an industry organization, staff can help with information and will deal with complaints about hotel standards or service. Perhaps more usefully, most of the hotels and all the travel agents mentioned in this guide can recommend local guides and attractions.

For the latest information on the growing number of reserves, national parks and associated visitor centres, call or visit the Belize Audubon Society in Belize City, which administers many of the country's protected areas. For in-depth information on social, cultural, political and economic matters concerning Belize, the place to look is the SPEAR Web site (Society for the Promotion of Education and Research) at www.spearbelize.org .