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.
PLACENCIA SALTWATER FISHING TOURNAMENT
SEPT. 21 & 22, 2013
Placencia Tourism Center
Headquarters for the Placencia Chapter of the
Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA)
BTB 2012 Hospitality Award Winner
TELEPHONE: 501-523-4045
