Southern Belize Needs Your Help!

[lostcajun]

Belize is a great country. The people are a great people, as well. But as someone said earlier it is not Disneyland. It has wonderful natural resources that people can explore and enjoy, and it has real problems as well. Most "destinations" have problems.

Some/Many/Most destinations are better at keeping the tourists away from their problems than Belize. One of the things that makes Belize a greater challenge is the geography. If the Belizean people want ships to sail up to piers for the "convenience" of their visitors, they will have to change/destroy parts of the oceanic geography. That's quite unthinkable in my mind, because one of the greatest natural resources Belize is blessed to have is the unique underwater geography and ecosystem. It's a sad commentary on the "average" tourist who, in many cases, couldn't care less about any giving "destination's" natural resources. And of course for the cruise industry it's all about the "illusion" of adventure for the sake of making money. Nothing wrong with making money, but when one destroys pristine natural resources in order to do it, then we need to rethink. We need to force and challenge businesses and governments to rethink. People in Belize want to make money too, but they are torn because they will witness the results of the destruction of parts of the delicate ecosystem. I think there is a way to make things more efficient and more effective, but that assumes there are strong leaders in business, government and in local community. That's a big assumption....

 

[flots am]

One of the things that makes Belize a greater challenge is the geography. If the Belizean people want ships to sail up to piers for the "convenience" of their visitors, they will have to change/destroy parts of the oceanic geography.

I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be hard to find areas around the coast that have already been destroyed and that wouldn't be hurt by the additional traffic. The water around the oil tank farm, for example looks like it's already dead. All it would take is some paint, a little fresh pavement and some shuttle buses. It's only 8-10 minutes to most places around town.

But as I said before, if the country doesn't want the tourists, it's a self-addressing problem.

flots

 

[lostcajun]

I'm under the impression that Belize City and pretty much the entire Belizean coast cannot accommodate deep draft ships. That is the reason that the larger cargo ships cannot off load onto piers.

I'm sure there are many issues involved, but I don't think it's merely that the Belizeans don't want tourists or their dollars. I do think that many do not want the ecosystem affected.

 

[koozemani]

The whole attitude is "we don't want you, leave us alone", so that's exactly what happens. Tourists come and see the crappy "tourist village", get back on the ship and say "what a waste". If Belize was smart, they would bulldoze the whole "tourist village" area, plant trees and make a large taxi/bus pickup area so the tourists could wander around town. It also wouldn't hurt to have a dive op or two at the port, ready to pick up divers who came in.



In that case, I'm fairly certain they'll get what they want.

With unemployment at a 14 year high and literacy running around 50%, I would expect that more tourist money (which would create jobs and pay for upgrades to education and infrastructure) would be appreciated, but if it's not, don't worry. With enough discouragement, the ships will stop coming.

flots.

You'll want to bulldoze belize city entirely if you're looking for a disneyesque experience.

 

[lostcajun]

You'll want to bulldoze belize city entirely if you're looking for a disneyesque experience.

I think you could say that about most resort cities that still have a significant native population. Not just Belize City... shoot you could say that about most U.S. cities!

 

[koozemani]

I think you could say that about most resort cities that still have a significant native population. Not just Belize City...

Misread your post, my response was based on something else.

I do agree with you.

 

[lostcajun]

I hope you will get and take other opportunities to go to Belize. It is a great country. The diving is amazing. I've had the opportunity to dive off of Lighthouse Atoll, Turneffe Atoll, St. George's Caye, Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye. Enjoyed all of it. I've also enjoyed the interior of Belize also amazing...

 

[koozemani]

I hope you will get and take other opportunities to go to Belize. It is a great country. The diving is amazing. I've had the opportunity to dive off of Lighthouse Atoll, Turneffe Atoll, St. George's Caye, Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye. Enjoyed all of it. I've also enjoyed the interior of Belize also amazing...

We'll be back. We wished we could have spent more time inland, it had a great vibe. We are sorry we didn't get further south, and yes the diving was top notch.

 

[Ralph Capeling]

Dear Placencia BTIA Members:
I would first like to thank all those folks who came out Saturday morning for the excursion to Harvest Caye. It was an educational experience for many of us who were not aware of the nature of the island and how it and the surrounding waters would be affected by the establishment of a cruise port there. What struck me most was when 40 or so snorkelers from our boats swarmed over the small stretch of reef on the caye’s southeast tip. I could just imagine what those corals would look like when 4,000 passengers are let loose on the island and hundreds of people snorkel the area daily for the next 25 years. The same goes for other nearby cayes and parks.
Also a big thank you to Avadon Divers, Splash and SEA who provided the boats and personnel for the trip as well as those who organized it.
So where do things stand? Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) related company that establishes the basic outline of the deal. That MOU is non-binding but will form the basis of a very detailed legally binding agreement that is being hammered out as we speak. It is the position of Placencia BTIA, national BTIA and a host of other local and national organizations that this project must be stopped. I repeat, stopped. Not modified, not mitigated, not downsized… STOPPED. It is a project that nobody asked for. It was brought to cabinet by one man who somehow induced the leadership of this country— and a few on this peninsula — to drink his particular flavor of Kool Aid.
Enough said. So what are we doing about it?
--Joining with others around the country to make our feelings known, on TV and radio news and by calling into talk shows, writing blogs, tweeting and re-tweeting.
--Gaining the support of BTIA chapters nationwide to support our cause.
--Internationalizing the issue to put pressure on our government and Norwegian Cruise Line.
--Initiating an advertising campaign on local media to explain the real implications of this project for our peninsula and the nation.
--Examining our legal options for fighting this battle in the courts as well as the court of public opinion. We are examining the MOU’s insistence on amending the caye’s existing EIA (which was for a hotel and air strip) instead of requiring a whole new EIA as the law requires.
The main thrust of all our efforts is to ultimately convince Prime Minister Dean Barrow that his government has made a mistake and that mistake must be corrected. Government’s own policy, enshrined in its Sustainable Master Plan and a dozen other documents over the last 25 years is that our part of the country should be reserved for low impact eco-tourism. We must not allow government to go against their own policy. The main thing to remember at this point is that no matter what anyone may tell you, THIS IS NOT A DONE DEAL! Those people who are trying to push this ill conceived project are scared. You can see it in their faces and hear it in the lack of conviction of their voices. They are singing for their supper and they know it. So all I can urge members to do is to keep kicking up dust, talk to your friends in places high and low, write emails to the media and the politicians…and above all, arm yourself with the facts.
Accompanying this letter is the MOU itself, a document called “The Case Against Mass Cruise Tourism in Southern Belize”, and another paper with some frequently asked questions and answers about the project. Please read them.
There is a rumor that the Belize Tourism Board will be coming down for a public meeting sometime this week and we will be contacting members when we have more information. Until then keep the faith and keep up the pressure.
Stewart Krohn
Chairman
Placencia BTIA




---------- Post added August 28th, 2013 at 05:03 PM ----------

“NO” MEANS “NO”!
BTIA Toledo Chapter stands firmly against Norwegian Cruise Lines Proposal

BTIA Toledo rejected the introduction of large-scale cruise tourism in Southern Belize, along with many other organisations which voiced their opposition. We note and share others’ subsequent concerns regarding the head tax, and the lack of cultural sensitivity regarding NCL’s passenger entertainment on the island.
The little information that has been made public changes nothing: our position still stands. In our opinion, the hope of a few part-time employment opportunities does not begin to outweigh the risks from mass tourism to our environment, our communities and cultures, and to our overnight ecotourism industry.

Between 800 and 1200 jobs have been indicated, but not even minimum numbers of jobs have been included in the MOU – indeed, the only guarantee in the MOU is that no more than 25% of these unspecified jobs will go to foreigners. GOB has provided a list of meaningful jobs to NCL, but these have not been made public.
We call on GOB and NCL to provide firm details of the numbers and types of permanent direct positions, and their estimates and reasoning for numbers and types of indirect jobs.

GOB has said that the proposal will be subject to the necessary EIA but also intimated that only an amendment will be needed to an EIA conducted over 4 years ago. That EIA was for a 760 person hotel - as opposed to a c. 4000 passenger cruise ship - and is a vastly different proposition, with likely much higher impact on the local fishermen, as well as affecting manatee habitat and breeding grounds, amongst many other considerations.
We call on GOB to conduct a full EIA on this proposal, including public meetings in Stann Creek and Toledo Districts to allow people to seek answers to questions and to voice their opinion, as should be their democratic right.

NCL states that we should expect around 1000 passengers to take excursions, some 500 on marine tours and 500 on inland tours, but that these numbers will not exceed carrying capacities. Details of likely excursion destinations have not been made public (although we understand private meetings are being held with select parties), and no carrying capacities for potential sites have been set. It should be noted that none of the Toledo villages have waste management programmes, and the Institute of Archaeology’s standard practice is for visitors to take any garbage away with them.
We call on GOB and NCL to make public their tour excursion destinations under consideration - information without which it is impossible for the general public to make an educated decision as to the likely impact of cruise tourism on their community - and to fully consult with the public regarding carrying capacities.

The Belize Rural Development Project is conveniently timed for the NCL proposal. We note that it calls for improvements to infrastructure as well as the development of product certification standards. Craft vendors at the three Toledo sites covered by this Project currently operate informally, and free of charge.
We call on GOB to provide details of the infrastructure improvements planned for Lubaantun, Nim Li Punit and Blue Creek, including whether craft booths will be constructed, and the associated rental costs and eligibility requirements. We further request details of the proposed product certification standards, including any associated costs of certification, and the implications for craft vendors if they are unable to achieve certification.

Opponents of this proposal have been varyingly referred to by GOB officials and employees as ill-informed, irresponsible, and disrespectful. Lack of information and secret and select meetings, all serve to divide our communities and inhibit sustainable growth of the tourism industry.
We call on GOB to make public the full facts about this scheme – including the specific points made above - so that all Belizeans can draw their informed conclusions as to the benefits and disadvantages of this proposal, and whether one outweighs the other.

For more information please contact Dilma Cano, Tourism Information Officer, at the BTIA Toledo Chapter office in Punta Gorda Town, at 722-2531 or email btiatoledo@btl.net.

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[Ralph Capeling]

[h=1]Caribbean cruises leave wave of bitter merchants in ports[/h]
By The Associated Press
on October 14, 2012 at 11:00 AM, updated October 14, 2012 at 11:01 AMEmail | Print

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Street vendor Paul Davy sells wooden statues to tourists who disembarked from the Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas cruise ship in Falmouth, northern Jamaica. Trade groups say the flourishing cruise ship industry injects about $2 billion a year into the economies of the Caribbean, the world’s No. 1 cruise destination, but critics complain that it produces relatively little local revenue because so many passengers dine, shop and purchase heavily marked-up shore excursions on the boats or splurge at international chain shops on the piers. (AP Photo/David McFadden)
By DAVID McFADDENFALMOUTH, Jamaica — Tourists emerge by the hundreds from a towering, 16-deck megaship docked at the Caribbean's newest cruise port. They squint in the glare of the Jamaican sun, peer curiously at a gaggle of locals beyond a wrought-iron fence and then roar out of town on a procession of air-conditioned tour buses.
Few stop to buy T-shirts, wooden figurines or beach towels from the dozens of merchants lining the road outside the fence, or visit the colonial-era buildings that dot the town. Not many even venture beyond the terminal's gates, unless it's in one of the buses that whisk them past increasingly disgruntled vendors and taxi drivers.
That's not the way townspeople in the old Jamaican sugar port of Falmouth were told it would be.
Jamaica's port authority and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. pitched the $220 million port as a place where passengers would dive into the historic city for "a wraparound experience not unlike Colonial Williamsburg, but one that is infused with the signature warmth of the Jamaican people." Locals were told the tourists might spend more than $100 each.
But since the industry's biggest ships started arriving early last year that warmth and those dollars have been kept at a distance.
"We were promised that we'd be able to show people our Jamaican heritage, sell our crafts. But most of the tourists stay far away from the local people," said Asburga Harwood, an independent tour guide and community historian. "We're on the losing end."
Trade groups say the flourishing cruise ship industry injects about $2 billion a year into the economies of the Caribbean, the world's No. 1 cruise destination. But critics complain it produces relatively little local revenue because so many passengers dine, shop and purchase heavily marked-up shore excursions on the boats or splurge at international chain shops on the piers.
The World Bank said in a 2011 report on Jamaica that as much as 80 percent of tourism earnings do not stay in the Caribbean region, one of the highest "leakage" rates in the world.
"In all-inclusive Caribbean hotels it is common for only 20 percent of revenue to be returned to the local economy. In the case of cruise ships it will be much less, probably no more than 5 percent," said Victor Bulmer-Thomas, a professor emeritus at London University who is an expert on Caribbean and Latin America economies.
A new report commissioned by the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association trade group says passengers spent $1.48 billion during port calls during the 2011-12 season at 21 regional destinations, including a few Central and South American nations with ports on the Caribbean.
But $583 million of that money went for watches and jewelry bought in cruise destinations where international chains like Colombian Emeralds and Diamonds International dominate pier shopping. An additional $270 million went to shore excursions, which are typically sold by the cruise lines. Just $87 million went to local crafts and souvenirs, according to the report.
The criticism isn't confined to Jamaica. Some Caribbean ports are even designed to prevent interaction with the surrounding communities.
In Haiti, the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation, tourists step off Royal Caribbean ships to visit the fenced-in beach attraction Labadee on the country's north coast. The visitors are prohibited from leaving the cruise line's property, which features white-sand beaches and one of the longest zip lines in the world.
"They should allow tourists to venture to the city. This would help the local economy," said Jean Cherenfant, mayor of nearby Cap-Haitien. "The majority of the people (in Cap-Haitien) don't feel the presence of Royal Caribbean and the tourists."
But each passenger to Labadee pays a $10 tax to the Haitian government, producing more than $6 million a year for the impoverished nation.
In the Bahamas, Disney Cruise Line ships stop at the company's own private island, dubbed Castaway Cay, where locals work as massage therapists, bartenders and drivers and supplies are brought in by the ships.
John Issa, former head of Jamaica's hotel association, said the cruise lines enjoy an unfair advantage over land-based businesses because regional governments fear the ships may pull out for a competing destination, while "once you put down a hotel, you are captive."
In one famous case, Carnival Cruise Lines withdrew from Grenada in 1999 amid a dispute over a $1.50-a-head tax to pay for a new landfill.
"The governments are terrified of making more demands," Bulmer-Thomas said.
The cruise industry says the ships steadily bring in huge amounts of tourists who otherwise might never come at all, so any money they do spend is a gain.
While locals want more interaction with moneyed tourists, the visitors often have little interest in exploring the sometimes gritty reality of life in a Caribbean port.
"Folks on a Royal Caribbean cruise are not looking for culture or history for the most part. They want to shop. Go to the beach. And drink. Not necessarily in that order," said Heidi Barry Rodriguez, a librarian from Cary, North Carolina, who recently cruised on a vessel to Falmouth and didn't meet a single passenger who explored the town.
On a recent morning at Falmouth's port, tourists disembarked from Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas, a 5,400-passenger liner with a 3D movie theater, ice rink, casino and multiple restaurants and bars. Most passengers were escorted onto buses destined for package tours in Jamaican resort meccas about an hour's drive away.
One dejected vendor selling hair-braiding services shut her eyes and raised her hands skyward, praying aloud that she could make a little money.
But even passengers who skipped the packaged excursions mostly shopped at stores on the fenced-in pier or strolled along the town's waterfront trying to avoid locals hawking cha-cha rattles and tropical clothing.
"We don't discourage guests from going into the town of Falmouth, but many of our guests choose a Royal Caribbean excursion to see some of the country's beaches and famous attractions," said H.J. Harrison Liu, brand communications manager with Royal Caribbean.
Falmouth Mayor Garth Wilkinson said his town "is just not seeing the benefit to the cruise ship port."
According to William Tatham, vice president of Jamaica's port authority, that's because the city is still adapting to its new role as a resort town. He noted that nearly all businesses in the town are aimed at locals, such as hardware suppliers, meat markets and general stores.
"The problem in Falmouth is that the residents are not tourist savvy," Tatham said during a phone interview.
Paul Davy, a father of two who sells wooden statues of roosters, fish and other creatures outside the port, says locals are growing angry at the lack of opportunity.
"The pot is starting to boil and, trust me, it will boil over if things don't change around here," said Davy, who helped build the pier as a construction worker but turned to crafts vending a year and a half ago. "Why can't we, the people who actually live here, make a living off the cruise ships, too?"