Southern Belize Needs Your Help!

[Ralph Capeling]

If they made this gaffe - and it is part of their program which presumably they should have researched, then what damage to the coral and marine life ecosystems will they be surprised to make????


Norwegian Exec Censured By National Garifuna Council
posted (August 19, 2013)

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They say that loose lips sink ships – well, for the sake of Norwegian Cruise Line, that had better not be true! That’s after Project Designer for NCL’s Harvest Caye Project Hugh Darley made what turns out to be an offensive comment about the sacred Garifuna Dugu Ceremony. Darley was trying to speak affectionately of the Garifuna Culture – but made a huge gaffe when he started talking about the Dugu, which is a closed ritual used to call up the ancestors. But, it seems Darley was told it was some kind of cool dance. Here’s what he said:…Hugh Darley

"Garifuna - why Garifuna? It's the only place in the world that we could tell that story and it would be real. We would not create a fantasy, we're telling the real story from the real people. We want to train and have people tell their own stories. In the afternoon there will be a big drum circle on the beach and at 3 o'clock we're going to tell the guests 'guess what - we're going to do a big drum circles out on the beach doing a dance called [dugu].' Why? Because nobody ever gets the chance to see that."
A statement issued this evening says that quote,

“The National Garifuna Council condemns the announcement by Norwegian Cruise Line and their agents to highlight the Garifuna culture, particularly our sacred ceremony, the Dügü, as an attraction for tourists without as much as the courtesy of consulting with the leadership of our community,” end quote.​

It adds quote,

“The Dügü is a sacred ceremony and is not performed as entertainment for any audience. We find the announcement insulting and, while it may be well intentioned, indicative of arrogance and ignorance on the part of those concerned.”​

This issue will be discussed at a scheduled meeting of the National Executive of the NGC this weekend.

 

[chillyinCanada]

To say the least Ralph . . .

In other related news, a group trip is being organized from Pacencia to Harvest Caye, for people to see it now before it is ruined. People from San Pedro are planning to attend.

 

[Ralph Capeling]

To say the least Ralph . . .

In other related news, a group trip is being organized from Pacencia to Harvest Caye, for people to see it now before it is ruined. People from San Pedro are planning to attend.

At Splash Dive Center, we will be donating use of one of our dive boats for the event. We hope we get a good turnout.
Regards
Ralph

 

[Downing]

The Garifuna can be somewhat guarded when it comes to strangers. I basically had to bribe one of them by buying a couple of her johnny cakes to let me take a picture of her in her Sunday's finest.

On the other hand, I count some of the Garifuna people as good friends, like Lennox, who works for Splash.

It will be interesting to see how Dangriga reacts to hordes of cruise ship tourists.

 

[Ralph Capeling]

FECTAB Lets It Fly At Norwegian
posted (August 21, 2013)

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Last week we had extended coverage of Norwegian Cruise Line’s proposed cruise destination on Harvest Caye in Southern Belize. Well, the fellows from FECTAB were watching closely. And by fellows, we mean Tom Greenwood, Yohnny Rosado and David Almendarez. You’ve seen them many times on this newscast raging against the Jamaican owned Chukka Tours. Well now, they’re going after Norwegian Cruise Line because they say the Southern Port will take jobs from Belize City. As you might imagine, they had some choice words for the Government officials who hammered out the Memorandum of Understanding with Norwegian. Here’s what they said:…


Tom Greenwood - President , FECTAB

"This MOU is a litany of 'I nuh know weh I di do' - Godwin Hulse, what happened to you my brother? My God you started up as an icon for us and I respect you for that because you have a big mouth like me and you're ready to talk and all of that - Godwin you're a part of this? Michael Singh - I only have one word for you and I can't use it on television - suffice to say that you Michael Singh sitting at the head of this are going to cause damage, you're causing damage to a whole lot of people. FECTAB takes this position - this entire MOU is not right, it's wrong in many places - it has made mistakes. Those mistakes could easily have been corrected by proper consultation - an open thing, and it is just a litany of mistakes being made. The mistakes will cost a lot of us our investments and will cost a lot of us our jobs."

And that’s really what today’s event was about the concern that cruise tourism jobs now concentrated in Belize City will go south with Norwegian’s new port at Harvest Caye where cruise ships can dock at the floating pier:
Tom Greenwood
"Here's a cruise line paying $70,000 to $80,000 a day to tender people up and down and suddenly they're going to have a port where they don't have to tender anybody? Hello - wakey wakey. Where do you think they're going to go? Down that way."
Yohnny Rosado - Cavetubing.com

"There are many phone calls from tour guides and tour operators that they have borrowed money and now they're thinking that these ships are going to Placencia."
Tom Greenwood
"You know something - I get the feeling this cruise tourism village right here is going to be a supermarket within a couple of years and places like Caves Branch that sees 100,000 guests a year is going to be a ghost town."
Yohnny Rosado
"Because there will be many Belizeans without a job in Belize City very soon. We are barely making money in the city outside of the Tourism Village and if you look at us, we don't look in any way professional. We look like hustlers, second class, third class tour guides- we look like 'made in China' - you know those stuff, we look fake. So imagine when this cruise line goes to their own island - you think we can get a wet suit and you think we can get a little dorey and say 'hey guys, cavetubing.com is here' - do you think you can sell that product around an island."

Tom Greenwood
"We must plan for the next two years to possibly not see any life out here. We're going to jeopardize something that's been established 12 years in Belize City for something that is going to be enclosed on an island in the South of the country against the wishes of the greater Tourism Industry Association? What do we do folks?"
And today the best idea on what to do was to take direct action:
Tom Greenwood
"Does the government listen to the people? Hell no! Has the past government ever listened to the people? Hell no! Have past governments listened to the people? Hell no! People have got to come together, we need a few thousand, a very large number of thousands to get together in busses, trucks, cars and go to Belmopan and jam up all the streets and everything - they can't arrest 20,000 of us."
Yohnny Rosado
"I came here with a different mindset - I came to beg the government to do the right thing."
Someone from the Audience
"I'm sorry but begging does not work - this government needs to be shown a lesson."
Tom Greenwood
"Brother Yohnny is doing the right way - we always have to do things peacefully but I am sick and tired of worrying what I will put on my children's table this evening."
But according to this group, others stand to profit from this project:
David Almendarez - Fantasea Belize

"Because it's some few well connected Belizeans enslaving the masses of us for a few dollars more - we will have foreigners coming into our country and telling us how to use our assets and how to manage our assets and we as a country in 2013 - will accept this. It's horrendous if as a people we accept this - it stinks from the bottom up - it's for a few dollars more and to send a few privilege people to law school. It's time to put an end to this, it doesn't make tourism sense, it doesn't make common sense, and it’s for a few dollars more. And we ask our government, why for a few dollars more?"
And any round condemnation of the Harvest Caye project wouldn’t be complete without some cultural commentary
Tom Greenwood
"And we're already hearing the mutterings and grumblings, especially from the Garinagu - these people are talking about taking sacred ceremonies of a people that are indigenous to the region for thousands of years and turning it into a Disney operation."
David Almendarez
"We are creating Belize - better known as Mother Nature's best kept secret - into Universal Studios and into a Disney theme park. You're going to have other people from other countries coming in and dancing as Garifunas, you're going to have people from Mexico coming in and being Mayas, you're going to have Americans painted up as other things and this is the environment that this kind of agreement is creating."
Tom Greenwood
"Can we stop it? That's the important thing - at this point in time an act of God and act of the people, or an act of government."
And while an “act of government” appears unlikely, Greenwood made it clear that he will act if Chukka Tours gets special treatment at the No-hoch Chen Archaeological Park, commonly known as Cave’s Branch. Yes, even though the press conference was about Norwegian Cruise Line, Greenwood did manage to somehow work his arch-nemesis, Chukka Tours into it. It’s not really relevant to tonight’s story but as a performance of pure rage, it is a classic – and one we had to share:…
Tom Greenwood - President , FECTAB
"The next time Caves Branch is flooded and the next time Chukka goes there with people and can access a natural patrimony site while native Belizeans can't take food home - you watch the 'madda rocking chair' that will happen, you watch what will happen. Because I won't put up with that, I won't put up with a Jamaican operator to come here to go somewhere that we put together and we have to stand up and 'boy I wonder what I'm going to take home for my children now' - that will stop!!"

 

[flots am]

Greenwood is right.

If the cruise line has to spend a ton of money and a lot of manpower tendering passengers all day (which also pisses of the passengers), and has another option for a real dock where the passengers can just walk off, all things being equal, I can tell you right now that the tendering will stop.

However if this was treated like a business instead of a disaster, everything could be different.

Most of the passengers want to do stuff. My buddies and I go diving, and the wives like snorkelling, catamaran rides and shopping. No, we don't stay overnight at a resort, but we do spend a bunch of money.

This is all a perception problem. Instead of the people at the new port wringing hands and complaining, perhaps some genius could figure out "Hey, there are 3000 people on the ship. "I'll bet there are at least a few dozen divers who would be willing to fork over $175 for a nice afternoon of diving" and "If I could get a nice big catamaran, I could take 50 people out snorkelling in the morning and in afternoon and make $4000."

Not everybody on the ship is a 400 pound buffet-hound. These are typically people with real jobs (or retired), who have money and want to have some fun and relax. It doesn't take a rocket scientist figure out that there's a deal to be struck here, exchanging some money for some fun.

Tom Greenwood
"You know something - I get the feeling this cruise tourism village right here is going to be a supermarket within a couple of years and places like Caves Branch that sees 100,000 guests a year is going to be a ghost town."
Yohnny Rosado
"Because there will be many Belizeans without a job in Belize City very soon. We are barely making money in the city outside of the Tourism Village and if you look at us, we don't look in any way professional. We look like hustlers, second class, third class tour guides- we look like 'made in China' - you know those stuff, we look fake. So imagine when this cruise line goes to their own island - you think we can get a wet suit and you think we can get a little dorey and say 'hey guys, cavetubing.com is here' - do you think you can sell that product around an island."

I have news: The "Tourism Village" sucks. If it wasn't for the SCUBA diving, I wouldn't get off the ship. It's pretty much exactly like the one on Cozumel. Want to keep the passengers coming a port? Make it awesome. Find new stuff to offer. The ships will continue to come as long as they're really cool stuff to do. In fact, if the two ports were very different, they could both be busy. There's nothing the cruise lines like better than two really cool ports that are close together (lower fuel costs).

As for the last remark " you think we can get a wet suit and you think we can get a little dorey and say 'hey guys, cavetubing.com is here' - do you think you can sell that product around an island.", well no, you can't sell cavetubing.com on an island with no caves, but you can hook up with the catamaran operator and sell a nice catamaran ride, followed by cave tubing. Or get a couple of motorboats and sell ocean tubing.

Someone should ship these people a couple of hundred copies of "Who moved my cheese?"

flots.

 

[koozemani]

I just saw this thread. Very sad.

 

[Ralph Capeling]

August 16, 2013 - 00:00
[h=1]Norwegian Cruise Line Plans To Develop $50Mil Eco-Friendly Destination In Belize[/h]

Company has purchased 75 acres in Southern Belize - Press Release, Belize City, August 14, 2013 –Norwegian Cruise Line (NASDAQ: NCLH) announced today that it has purchased approximately 75 acres in Southern Belize for the planned development of an eco-friendly cruise destination. The land, called Harvest Caye, is made up of two adjoining islands in the Stann Creek and Toledo districts that had previously been approved for a resort development with an air strip. Norwegian plans to invest $50 million in the project.
“As our fleet continues to grow to 15 ships by 2017, we expect that we will double the number of guests sailing on our Western Caribbean itineraries and, once this new destination is complete, bring four times as many guests to Belize than we do today,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s president and CEO. “In our quest to continuously look for new and exciting destinations for our guests, we plan to develop a cruise destination focused on sustainable design and eco-friendly principles that will retain the natural beauty and local culture of this tropical paradise.”
Norwegian has retained IDEA Inc. of Orlando, Florida to design the destination and bring the project to fruition. IDEA is an industry leading designer of branded ports of call and branded destinations for the hospitality, entertainment and tourism industries. IDEA has worked with private developers, government ministries, and independent agencies to create branded destinations in Alaska; Florida; St. Lucia; St. Maarten; Mexico; St. Kitts; Honduras; Bahamas; and Jamaica.
“This project will set a new standard in the development of an eco-friendly destination. Rather than an imposed plan, we are focused on a design approach that is determined by the local environment to ensure that the unique surroundings and features of the area will be protected and showcased for all to enjoy,” said Hugh Darley, president of IDEA, Inc.
“At Norwegian, we have a strong commitment to the environment through our Eco-Smart Cruising philosophy. We will continue that commitment as we develop the Belize project and ensure that we are socially responsible in everything we do,” said Colin Murphy, vice president, destination and strategic development for Norwegian Cruise Line.

Artist rendering of what the developer says the Norwegian hotel will look like​

While the master plan for the 75 acres is still under development, the vision is to create a world-class cruise destination, consisting of two locations: an island destination with docking/tendering facilities and a mainland connection point for inland tours. Major components of the project are anticipated to include a floating pier, island village with open-air structures on raised platforms, marina, transportation hub for tours to the mainland, a lagoon for a variety of water sports and a relaxing beach area. The goal is to design an authentic experience grounded in the storyline of nature, ancient culture, art, adventure and music that celebrates Belizean, Mayan and Garifuna history and culture.
The Government of Belize and Norwegian have signed a memorandum of understanding on the development that calls for adherence to Belize’s environmental standards, creation of jobs for Belizeans, as well as significant economic impact, among other items.
Belize’s Prime Minister Dean Barrow has said that Belize needs to decentralize cruise tourism in an effort to reduce overcrowding and improve the visitor experience. Prime Minister Barrow also expressed confidence in Norwegian Cruise Line’s commitment to responsible development that will have a positive economic impact while maintaining the integrity of natural resources.
The new destination is expected to benefit Belize directly with significantly increased head tax revenues, and at a local level with up to 1,000 new jobs. The creation of the new destination will also help relieve cruise tourism pressures in Belize City which has been called for in Belize’s National Sustainable Tourism Master Plan.
Norwegian plans to employ a majority of Belizeans in the construction and operation of the destination in Belize. The company has also created a hiring program specifically for
Belizeans who want to work in the immediate future on its vessels while the project is under development. Once the destination is ready to open, those Belizeans will have priority preference for the numerous staff positions needed to run the day-to-day operations.
To learn more about the project, visit the Belize tab on the company’s Facebook page atwww.facebook.com/norwegiancruiseline.

---------- Post added August 23rd, 2013 at 04:37 PM ----------

[h=2]Not All Is Good With Norwegian Cruise Lines Future Belize Port[/h]A special feature showing that not everything is as good as it seems with NCL's Harvest Caye Development in Belize.





[h=1]Cruise Features[/h]

2 Comments



21st August 2013
"Our ships will be going somewhere else, unless we can figure out a way to make the experience better." Colin Murphy, Norwegians Vice President, Destination & Strategic Development, following the rejection of their proposed purchase of Crawl Caye in southern Belize for development as a cruise port.
[h=3]TROUBLE IN PARADISE: Dirty tricks and bully boy tactics in the Tropics?[/h]Norwegian Cruise Lines announced the purchase last week of the 75 acre Harvest Caye off the coast of southern Belize, and their intention to create a cruise port and eco-friendly private island two miles south of the tiny fishing village of Placencia, along with a mainland hub for land-based tours. The project is apparently set to generate local jobs, so you could be forgiven for wondering why there is local, and very vocal, opposition.

The overwhelming attraction for some Belizeans is the promise of 800 to 1200 jobs (the numbers of jobs, and whether direct or indirect, varies according to the source), and NCL says that they have created a hiring programme specifically for Belizeans who want to work on their vessels until their island project is complete, but no details are available. Surprisingly, some people seem happy to accept these suggestions of jobs at face value, despite employment numbers not being included in the MOU indeed, the only mention of employment in the MOU is that foreign employees will not exceed 25%.
Even so, the hope of up to 1200 jobs in an area with nearly 12% unemployment is understandable, perhaps until people start to question what they will do for the other six months of the year, find themselves unable to meet the rental costs for vendors booths at the cruise terminal, or meet the licensing regulations for the Tourism Boards proposed certification scheme for artisans.
The local opposition is based largely on the premise that the small and uncertain number of jobs does not begin to outweigh the environmental damage of having c. 4,000 people descend on Southern Belize in an environmentally fragile area, the costs to the communities and their traditions and culture, or the threat to the established overnight ecotourism industry. They've heard it all before, having successfully blocked an attempt by Royal Caribbean in 2010 to establish a cruise terminal and tourist village in Placencia village, a campaign for which the Placencia Citizens for Sustainable Development won a World Responsible Tourism Award.
Around the same time, the Government commissioned and subsequently adopted their National Sustainable Tourism Master Plan. Both NCL and the Government of Belize have made much in their propaganda of the Master Plans reference to establish a second cruise port to reduce over-crowding in Belize City, but the inconvenient truth is that the same Plan identified a second port location in Belize City and specifically stated that pocket cruise tourism [less than 300 passengers] is the only acceptable form of cruise tourism in South Eastern Coast Belize.
One local activist told us, There is so much that is so wrong with the way the Government and NCL are behaving, starting with NCLs threat to pull out of Belize when they were refused their first proposal on environmental grounds, to the secret dealings and complete failure to consult with locals, as well as the huge amount of spin they are able to create given their US$50 million+ annual advertising spend. Its quite ironic that Hugh Darleys blog (NCLs Belize Project Director) talks about community involvement being vital in destination development, how cruise ship companies should not manage destinations, and how countries that do not develop PPIs with the cruise lines benefit little from the earnings each time ships came to port. It seems like he had the best of intentions for the Port of Falmouth, but look at what a disaster thats turned out to be.
An environmentalist said, The MOU calls for a minimum of 25% of passengers going on tour, leaving 3000 people on 12 acres of a 71 acre island, and they call that eco-friendly? Thats a higher density population than New York City. And NCL says this project for a 4000+ passenger ship has a smaller footprint than the previously approved hotel for 760 guests. Harvest Caye is a critical manatee habitat and breeding ground, and they want to bring in a ship over a thousand feet long? This is a fragile area and none of this makes any sense. Southern Belize isnt suitable for large cruise ships, period.
NCL has already provoked outrage among some of the Garifuna community with their culturally insensitive plans to hold a "Dugu Dance" on the island. The Dugu is, in fact, a sacred ceremony. One lady wrote, I am sick to my stomach with shame I pray that my Garifuna brothers and sisters will not put a few dollars ahead of cultural pride. Dugu is so sacred that they will never understand. The National Garifuna Council followed up with their stinging condemnation of NCL, saying, We find the announcement insulting and indicative of arrogance and ignorance on the part of those concerned.
NCL says they are disappointed at the opposition, because people rejected the proposal before they even knew properly what it is: NCL has held no public meetings or consultations whatsoever. The Belize Minister of Tourism said, "They refuse even to listen, sometimes being very disrespectful" and "that is not what we want from these people that are supposed to be guiding this industry."
Written Independently By Sue Ridge

 

[Ralph Capeling]

[h=1]Norwegian Cruise Lines Buys Harvest Caye in Belize: Is it the End of Placencia As We Know It?[/h]Posted on August 25th, 2013
Category: Other Cayes, Travel in Belize

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First time visitors to any place in Belize often hear the phrase “oh…you should have seen (insert: Caye Caulker or Ambergris Caye or Placencia) 5 years ago or 10 years ago…” before San Pedro got rid of the hand ferry and built the Barry Bowen Bridge to access the north end of the island (2006) or before Placencia paved the one long road that runs down the narrow peninsula (2010). These days are known to one and all as “the good old days” or let’s get local…”bak eena di day”.
Everyone remembers a simpler, more charming, just plain better time. For some reason, the first time you visited Belize (or for locals, the Belize of your childhood) always seems the best. That’s just the way life work. Time sweetens all memories.
The projects above led to gradual change, to progress, many would argue.
But what would happen if a multi-billion dollar cruise ship company bought an island less than 3 miles off the shores of your small town…and with only the most vague plans in place (big payoffs, few details), took advantage of the slow season, sluggish worldwide economy and divided local factions and made an agreement with your small government to bring in tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of tourists with promises that seem to change by the day?
Well…the tiny beach village of Placencia, Belize (population of roughly 800 to 1000) is about to find out.
Just recently, Norwegian Cruise Lines purchased 75 acre Harvest Caye from the Government of Belize for $50 million USD with the intent to raze it and make it the main port in Belize for…well…general cruise ship fun.
That’s a cruise ship, right? Not a MacDonald’s Play World?
To put things in perspective, the annual GDP of Belize is about equal to the cost of ONE GIANT NCL CRUISE SHIP (reference). That is how small our country is relatively. And in a world where money talks, that is how easily we can be railroaded by a huge profit driven corporation like Norwegian Cruise Lines.
Okay…this topic is already getting me fired up! Let me back up and tell you where I went yesterday. Harvest Caye. Just about 3 miles off shore from Placencia Village and about a 20 minute boat ride through the GORGEOUS Placencia Lagoon which is packed with wildlife. Coral heads…manatees…dolphins…
LOOK AT WHAT APPEARED AT THE BOW OF THE BOAT AS WE WERE MAKING OUR WAY OUT TO HARVEST CAYE. Just 5 minutes from Placencia. My heart was in my throat. AMAZING.
A few feet below me. And then we saw a manatee only a few minutes later.
This image not mine. Oh how I wish it was. But there is nothing like a good pic of a manatee to tug at your heart strings. I’m sure these guys will just find some other place else to graze and raise their babies. Sniff…
Nicole Gomez, the Executive Director of the Southern Environmental Agency of Belize (SEA), let us know that this lagoon is one of the three most important habitats for manatees in Belize.
The other two are Belize City (already pretty much ruined by the cruise ship industry) and the Southern Lagoon off of Punta Gorda.
But I’m getting ahead of myself again…let me back up. Everyone who was headed out to the Caye met at the MnM dock in Placencia AT 9am. A $10bzd donation was requested for the use of these big dive boats. There was a good crowd but not as many people as I expected.
A representative associated with NCL was there in a small boat. He was handing out slick flyers about the project with dubious facts like 80% of cruisers are scoping out a spot to spend more long-term vacations.
Hotel owners in other parts of Belize…I’d be curious. Can you ask your guests if they found Belize on a previous cruise ship journey? Is the number 80%? Let me know!
Many of the locals and tour guides were not present since they have seen the caye many, MANY times. It’s a popular area for fly fishing and well known to those who have grown up in the area. But a little more support/solidarity might have been nice?
The first boat headed out.
Stewart Krohn, the BTIA Chairman of Placencia and someone who has been very vocal against NCL purchase, gave us a briefing.
It had rained heavily the night before but the dark clouds stayed over the mountains as we pulled up to the caye.
And we loaded onto smaller boats to see the island briefly and to take a picture. The caye is densely packed with mangroves and fruit trees.
We headed to the small beach area…I was pleasantly surprised to find it pretty bug free.
Just about 25 feet in from this small beach is an area where the previous owners (a resort with an air strip was to be built) had started some construction. Really it was just burned vegetation and what seemed like a giant ugly hole.
We posed for a picture…
And a few people spoke about the NCL plan and how it can effect the environment and mostly the lagoon. As we pulled up to the island, the water was spotted with boulder coral (easily a few hundred years of growth) and the depth was as shallow as 9 to 10 feet.
The dredging alone to bring in the construction work and the actual cruise ships (probably needs to be 35-40 feet) will wreak havoc on the sea bottom. The silt can smother the sea grass…the food for the estimated 300- 400 manatees that live in this area. (Out of the estimated 1000 to 1500 that live in all of Belize.)
We pulled back off shore and went snorkelling. I met people from all over…visitors, people who live in Belmopan and Punta Gorda.
I had so many questions: Where are the cruisers going to go to catch buses to their mainland trips? We don’t know yet. Are they going to be using Belizean guides and companies? We hope so. Will there be a cruise ship tour called “Cute Town of Placencia Day Trip”? We hope not since the cruise ships won’t make too much money from that trip.
But how is the village going to keep that from happening?
We hope not?!?! Even just 500 cruisers unloading off a boat at the dock at Placencia to walk through the town for a few hours…it’s unimaginable. Simple stuff like where are they going to use the restroom or where is their trash going to go has no answer. Is Placencia going to turn into a giant ugly flea market surrounded by barbed wire like many cruise ship ports across the Caribbean replete with “take your picture holding a baby parrot” hustlers to pharmacies selling cheap diet drugs and Viagra?
NCL says this project will be “different”…ummm…different HOW?
GOB how dare you sign an agreement without all of this written in stone. Like the exact number of ships you will allow or who EXACTLY can be employed? And if Belizeans are employed, how are they going to buy the buses, the boats, the insurance? Who is to say that 2 cruise ships doesn’t become 10 ships? And maybe NCL will allow other companies to use this new island.
It’s almost unthinkable what can happen in a town that is so quaint and small.
And what about our national tourism plan? Belize put together a serious nationwide plan only a few years ago to increase the now 35,000 annual nationwide overnight visitors. (Overnight visitors are THE WAY that money actually gets to Belizeans.)
The goal was eco-tourism…sustainable growth. HOW DOES THIS PROJECT MATCH UP IN ANY WAY WITH THAT?
So…I have a feeling that once this gets rolling (project proposed opening is the cruise ship season of 2015/2016) and the area is possibly flooded with day visitors who are here to “experience Belize” in a few hours…back eena di day is going to be something that Southern Belize and possibly the whole country talks about quite a bit. And not in the distant future. I don’t think it will take long to see BIG changes.
All that being said: I am no scientist. I’m not an expert in the cruise ship industry (I’ve never even been on a cruise) and I am not a resident of Southern Belize. But I have lived in Belize for 7 years now. And I can see how the decisions made here will effect the entire country…will basically set another precedent of the government doing whatever it wants, wherever it wants, with minimal (to no) consultations with the local citizens.
What’s next? Northern Ambergris Caye? Probably. It IS in our backyard.
This entire article is MY OPINION as it is…MY BLOG. If there are any factual errors here, please let me know.
And for a VERY compelling testimony about what cruise ship tourism did to Roatan, Honduras, an island VERY similar to Belize in many ways, watch this Story of A Cruise Ship Refugee.
It’s 7 minutes well worth your time.
For more information, I suggest you contact the lovely people at the Placencia BTIA. They can certainly point you in the right direction.
And please COMMENT from Belize or abroad. I’d love to know what everyone thinks!

 

[chillyinCanada]

Wow . . . My friend Rebecca wrote that! Her blog is An Opinionated Guide to Ambergris Caye and Belize; San Pedro Scoop. Her usual style is a lot more dry humor in the sharing of her experience and a peek into an expat life in Belize. I don't recall her EVER being this worked up. She's totally on point.

Sorry flots but you are out to lunch on this issue.

The gal (Sandra) in the video embedded within Rebecca's post is someone I've known for many years. We met in Roatan. What Sandra has to say is no joke, nor is it an exaggeration. She may not even have gone far enough.