These prices are quoted from another thread on the same issue.
'Houston/Cancun all in $279.00
Houston/Costa Rico $500.00 (1 1/2 hr further flying time)
Houston/Cozemel $300.00
Houston/Grand Caymen $500.00
LAX/Cancun $279.00
Houston/Bze $600.00'
also
Toronto to Barbados $680.00CDN
Toronto to Roatan $690.00CDN
Toronto to Belize $820.00CDN
and let's not even list prices to Cancun....
The pattern is obvious. How is it other countries can influence the price per ticket yet Belize can't? I was told by a hotelier in Grenada that the tourism board must guarantee the airlines a certain amount $ per flight so they don't loose money on half full planes. Maybe thats why the tickets to BZE are so high because the planes are not full and the airline increases the price per ticket so they don't take a loss. The GOB along with the tourist board should be able to come up with a way of subsidizing flights to fill the planes and get tourism going.
I don't think ticket prices are necessarily going up, Air Canada just had a 50% off seat sale for flights in Canada and US as well as deals for Europe and sun destinations.