Author: Dawson Lee Major: Economics & Finance
Hello! My name is Dawson Lee. I am an Economics / Finance double major. This summer, I spent 2 months in Dangriga, Belize, researching the current state of the Dangrigan tourism industry and how it can be improved.
Tourism is rapidly growing each year in Belize; there are plenty of new dollars flowing into the country. Dangriga is looking to capitalize on that growth. I was partnered with a few local women that own and run multiple successful businesses in Dangriga. They also run the Dangriga chapter of the Belize Tourism Industry Association. Needless to say, these local mentors, as we’ll refer to them, were incredibly knowledgeable about the state of tourism. They were very welcoming, as well. My time in Dangriga was largely spent working directly with them. Together, we analyzed what assets Dangriga already had in place, such as a town website and a uniquely organic culture. We then discussed ways that those assets could be highlighted. Finally, we talked about what was missing from Dangriga, and what we could add to increase the tourism infrastructure.
Ultimately, we were able to make quite a bit of progress. We improved upon the website that was already in place, making it more appealing and accessible to viewers. We created and published a user friendly map of Dangriga, which surprisingly wasn’t in place yet. We gave presentations to some local youth, explaining to them the benefits of entrepreneurship to both themselves and their community. And, we highlighted the many local artisans that are in Dangriga, giving them their own page on the website. Through the help of our local mentors, we were able to make small improvements in the industry that are necessary in the long run.
This experience provided me with lessons that I will carry with me the rest of my life. I have been back home for a little over a week now, and every day I catch myself using something that I learned during my time in Dangriga. One of the best aspects of this trip is that even though you are researching and working, you are also immersing yourself in a drastically different culture for 2 months. By the end of it, I felt at home in Dangriga. I felt like a local. The people of Dangriga taught me the most. Their culture is one of positivity, friendship, and eliminating stress. In a lot of ways, it was opposite of the hustle and bustle of the United States. People in Dangriga focus their time on enjoying themselves and enjoying the friends and family around them. Initially, this was frustrating to me. I wanted to go, go, go; I wanted to get everything done all that once. After a week or two inside the culture, though, I realized that there is a very possible healthy balance between work and life. Once you allow yourself to, you can be productive and successful while still maintaining a high level of happiness and low level of stress. That experience has allowed me to improve my life at home immensely.
I learned how to be a true professional, as well. Our local mentors exemplified professionalism, passion, and respect in the workplace. They taught me how impactful little details are when interacting with peers in the workplace. They treated each person they interacted with as equals. The passion that they displayed for their work also took me by surprise. It was amazing to see how much they wanted to improve the industry, both for themselves and for their community.
As I go into my junior year at the University of Arkansas, I feel more prepared and excited than ever to take advantage of all the opportunities in front of me. My time in Dangriga impacted me in more ways than I ever could have imagined. I would recommend the trip to anyone that has the chance. There are very few experiences in life that can show you a new perspective on culture, business, and yourself. This is one of them.