Stann Creek District

Stann Creek District demonstrates mutualism between agriculture and tourism in Belize's central coast. Dangriga (the district capital) anchors Garifuna culture; Placencia draws beach tourism; Hopkins offers village authenticity. Meanwhile, citrus and banana production in the inland valleys maintains the agricultural base that tourism alone couldn't provide. The district bridges the sugar economies to the north and the poverty of Toledo to the south.

The 13.1% construction sector surge in 2024 manifested heavily here as resorts, eco-lodges, and supporting infrastructure expanded. The secondary sector's 8.3% overall increase included Stann Creek's tourism construction boom. But agricultural decline hit simultaneously—when the primary sector dropped 5.5% from disease and weather, the citrus and banana operations that employ rural workers contracted.

This creates asymmetric exposure: urban areas along the coast benefit from tourism's 32% accommodation surge while rural citrus workers face the agricultural squeeze. Stann Creek isn't homogeneous—it contains multiple economies operating at different speeds. The Garifuna communities along the coast interact with a different Belize than the agricultural workers inland. The district's middle position in Belize's geography creates a middle position in its economy: neither the commercial dominance of Belize District nor the poverty concentration of Toledo.