Southern Belize Needs Your Help!

[Ralph Capeling]

I understand perfectly. People are afraid of change. They always are. Everywhere.

Some people want tourists. Other people don't. It's not really all that complicated.

FWIW, if Belize had been able to make the current port and the surrounding area more tourist (and resident, for that matter) friendly, the cruise line wouldn't be looking for new development.

flots.

Flots, your comments indicate you do not understand at all.
People in Placencia are not afraid of change - this is a growing tourist destination as it is a beautiful and charming spot. People in Placencia do not want bad change and mass curise is considered to be bad change by the people here - they have seen it in Belize City and are happy for it to stay there.
Placencia wants tourists but wants overnight tourist as they contribute to the economy. they just don't want to be over run by the mass cruise ship crowd.
The GoB is trying to make the Be;lize City destination more attractive and there is a proposal on the table right now to do a $100 million project on a couple of keys adjacent to Belize City that would include a causeway to Belize City.
Regards
Ralph

 

[flots am]

Flots, your comments indicate you do not understand at all.

Yes, I do. You just don't like my answer.

Placencia wants tourists but wants overnight tourist as they contribute to the economy. they just don't want to be over run by the mass cruise ship crowd.

The "doesn't contribute to the economy" thing is getting old. If the locals aren't getting money it's because they're poor business people not because they have bad customers. Anybody who can't make money taking 50 people out on a catamaran for a 3 hour trip @ $50-$75/passenger needs to find a different job.

If anything, the ship passengers are more willing to part with their money than the SCUBA divers. You just have to offer something they want.

In fact, if I was so completely out-to-lunch, you guys wouldn't be here trying to stir up opposition to the development. There are apparently quite a few people who think that a nicer place to take tourists would be a good thing.

flots.

 

[Downing]

But really, I have no stake in this.

How true. And yet you continue...

 

[dlofting]

Ralph,

It sounds like what you people in Placencia are "selling" is what I want....I was planning to spend my dive holiday on Bonaire next year, but if you can offer me diving, hiking, river rafting/paddling and a chance to experience Belizean culture, I'm in.

It's actually what I go to Utah every year for....yes Utah, perhaps the most conservative, capitalist state in the US.....but one that has parlayed its natural resources and "ecotourism" (hiking, fishing, climbing, mountain biking, backpacking, paddling, and most important for me CANYONEERING) into a muti-million dollar business, without compromising its environment. So, stick to your guns. If you visit Zion National Park after the middle of August, when American schools are back in session, you'd think you were in western Europe there are so many tourists from Germany, France and the UK. Hang in there, there are a lot of people out there who will come to Belize when they realize what you have to offer...it will just take time.

....and who is the best person to talk to if I want to plan a vacation in Placencia.

Dave

 

[koozemani]

The person who keeps posting the updates

 

[flots am]

How true. And yet you continue...

I find it interesting when a country has high crime, high unemployment, high poverty, a literacy rate that hovers around 50%, and a multi-billion corporation wants to build a nice destination port and bring in a steady stream of tourists, and people are fighting it because they like things the way they are.

flots

 

[dlofting]

I find it interesting when a country has high crime, high unemployment, high poverty, a literacy rate that hovers around 50%, and a multi-billion corporation wants to build a nice destination port and bring in a steady stream of tourists, and people are fighting it because they like things the way they are.

flots

No, they don't necessarily like things the way they are, but they aren't going to accept the first offer that comes along to change things. Why should people in Belize accept less than people in the US or Canada would ?? I'm sure if this same deal was offered to a port community in Florida, California, Washington or British Columbia we'd reject it.

 

[Hank49]

I was in a meeting with other shrimp farm representatives today with Minister Godwin Hulse regarding this issue. The shrimp farms of Belize had some concerns regarding biosecurity among a few other issues, specifically the effects on AquaMar Shrimp farm whose hatchery water intake is very near the proposed site. We presented concern of the use of pesticides to control the sand flies on the island, the dredging and the violation of the ban on imported shrimp to Belize. Not to protect our sales, but to prevent the introduction of the dreaded White Spot Syndrome Disease that has had devastating effects on all other Central American shrimp farms as well as South American and Asian farms. Also introduction of the new disease, Early Mortality Syndrome, which has affected Thailand, the shrimp farming juggernaut of the world. Loss of production there due to this disease is the reason you're seeing increases in shrimp prices this year.

To our surprise, he said it is NOT a done deal. It is still under review and no EIA has been done yet. ?? We'll see.

The main concern that I'm gathering is that Belize won't gain much at all. It's more a concern now of how much we can lose.

 

[Downing]

flots, the problem is you keep setting up arguments against straw men.

No one is arguing that cruise ship tourism doesn't contribute anything to the economy. The issue is what kind of benefit and at what cost versus the same analysis for overnight tourism. A development like the one that's on the table for southern Belize has major implications because it's not as if you can just tear it down and put the caye back together if it doesn't work.

Belizeans aren't fighting it because they like things just the way they are and/or are afraid of change. Relatively early in its very short existence, Belize committed to eco-tourism. Groups like the national Belize Tourism Board and the local Toledo Ecotourism Association were formed to promote and act upon this commitment, which brought about and continues to bring about a lot of changes at the local level.

Having declared its independence only 30+ years ago, Belize is a baby country saddled with a lot of issues. They're trying to run an entire country on what amounts to the budget of a mid-size American city. The kind of money that's being waved at them right now has to be tempting. But it doesn't mean it would be the right fit for southern Belize.

I agree with you that "Tourism Village" (hoo boy, pure marketing genius, that one) sucks. But BZ City can better absorb the crowds. If a Disney-type playground just has to be built for the cruise ship tourists--I'm not convinced that it does--better to build it up there and keep the port in BZ City. Maybe some of the money could be spent on increasing security and sprucing up the place so people would feel safe and want to walk around and spend money.

Take Ralph up on his offer. Get off the ship and spend a week or two in southern Belize. Take a look around and talk to the locals. I guarantee you'll get a completely different vibe from "Tourism Village."

dlofting, Ralph will put you in touch with Patty Ramirez, the other co-owner and operator of Splash Dive Center in Placencia. She can help arrange pretty much everything, from the flight transfer from/to BZ City, accommodations, diving, mainland stuff, etc. Zion is a true national treasure, along with Moab, the Flaming Gorge and a whole lot more of Utah.

Btw, anyone here watch Breaking Bad? Great Belize reference the other night. Two characters were talking about the need to get rid of a third character, and one of them suggested they send him to Belize. "Belize?" "Yeah, Belize. You know, like you sent Mike [a guy they whacked last season] to Belize." "I can't do that. He's family. No, I'm not sending him to Belize."

 

[DeltaWardog]

This is why we picked Placencia for our winter vacation this year, Dave. It sounds like people have their heads screwed on straight there. We love Cozumel but damn if the cruise ships aren't ruining it more and more every year. :| So we decided it's time for a change. Lo and behold, cruise ships are trying to invade this neck of the woods too. Can't they stay in the Bahamas? Sigh.


---------- Post added September 14th, 2013 at 01:29 AM ----------

Wow flots am. That's one of the troll-iest things I've ever read on this board. Just because they don't want cruise ship passengers flooding their area, that means they are OK with all the current ills that affect their society? Ridiculous. You win the award for non-sequitur of the year.

You even throw out "multi-billion corporation" as if that's a good thing. In my experience (granted only 38 years on this planet so far) the larger and more profitable a corporation, the more soul-less it is in its actions, in general. Do you work for Norwegian?

Please enlighten us as to how a bunch of "ugly Americans" stopping off for a day or two every week and dropping their dollars on trinkets made in China are going to improve the literacy, crime, and poverty levels of Belize.

We're all ears.