neither i nor anyone i know lost any property?
we saw where we were sure they would make someone move their fountain or some trees and stuff,, but they just paved right up to the edge.
thats just me,,,

I don't know of anyone who lost land to the road and if they did, would be reimbursed by the CDB. I know of people who built beyond their land boundaries and the contractors worked around their structures. As far as utilities, take that up with the PUC, who have a methodology for setting rates. Yes, we pay alot for power here, but are a small population in a large land mass and its costs alot to put in the infrastucture. I'm usually very down on BEL and BTL, but when paying this months bills, commended them for all their hard work after the hurricane. So I'm not complaining about them this month. Next month, yes.

AGREED!!!!

Position of the Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations (APAMO) on the proposed cruise tourism in Placencia

The Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations (APAMO) considers that cruise tourism for Placencia is neither an environmentally or economically viable strategy for Belize.

Our tourism industry is of significant importance to the economy and to the development of the country. Belize is internationally recognized as an "eco-tourism" destination, catering for small-scale, nature and culture stay-over tourism due to its rich natural and cultural heritage.

Expanding cruise tourism, in the southern part of the country, one of the most ecologically rich areas, can have detrimental and irreversible impacts on the ecosystems and biodiversity of the marine protected areas and other sensitive areas in that region. The migratory patterns of many marine aqua fauna can be seriously affected, e.g. the prestigious whale shark which comes in to feed in this general region at the Gladden Split, located within the Gladden Spit and Silk Cayes Marine Reserve, generating millions of tourism dollars every year. The many mangrove islands and sea beds, ecologically vital to nesting and migratory birds and nursery for many fish populations that support the fishing industry can be seriously impacted. The Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, including its atolls is invaluable to the tourism and fisheries sectors and for the protection of coastal communities. Declared a world heritage site in 1996, it is presently at risk of losing this status due to the current threats it faces. Cruise tourism will only increase the pressure to this system from the waste produced by the cruise industry.

In addition, APAMO does not consider that cruise tourism will benefit the majority of Belizeans in the long term but rather only a very few in the short term. An INCAE/BTB/PACT November 2006 study found that on average a cruise passenger spends $44 for the 1 day he/she docks in Belize while the average stay-over visitor spends $96 per day and on average stays 6.8days representing $653, almost 15 times more than what a cruise ship passenger spends. In 2005 prior to the global economic recession, BTB reported 800,331 cruise passenger arrivals compared to 236,573 stay-over arrivals, using the average that each spends, the stay-over visitors still spent 4.4 times more than the cruise passengers. We would need to attract 3.5 million cruise visitors a year to obtain the same revenues. Imagine what 3.5 million visitors a year would do to our natural resources. The study also indicated that cruise tourism contributes to only 1 of every 10 jobs while stay over tourism contributes to 9 of every 10 jobs. Stayover visitors usually decide on their destination for the "experience". Expanding cruise tourism, may result in these stay-over visitors changing their destination to avoid the massive numbers of cruise passengers resulting in the successful branding of Belize as "Mother Nature's Best Kept Secret" being tarnished and significant revenues to the local economy lost. The so-called benefits to the local communities is miniscule to what the cruise lines make, studies show that world cruise lines make over 70% of their profits in the Caribbean, and that they purchase virtually nothing from the region. The same applies to Belize. While cruise lines can change course on a whim leaving behind only a trail of economic disaster, stay-over tourism provides for a more long term sustainability of our natural resources and stability of our economy, provided that the very core of what draws them to Belize is not put at risk.

The environmental, social and economic cost of cruise tourism is too high and the benefits too little. Rather than investing in expanding the cruise sector, APAMO, calls on the government to invest these funds in building the stay-over tourism sector. APAMO therefore express its solidarity with BTIA Placencia and the Placencia Community and does not support any activity that would compromise the protected areas and the ability of our natural systems to maintain a healthy environment that is critical to sustaining the population and economy of Belize.

APAMO speaks out against cruise tourism in Placencia

A proposal to introduce cruise tourism in the south should have been a done deal instead it has been stopped in its tracks. In Placencia, residents are dead set against it because they feel that this brand of tourism will destroy the natural beauty of the peninsula and that far outweighs any benefits to the village. The Belize Tourism Board is promoting the project, but their support is now tainted by conflict of interest. The land for the proposed tourism village was sold by Century 21, to Royal Caribbean. One of the principals in the company that sold the land is the CEO in the Ministry of Tourism. Those against the proposal got an added boost when it picked up support from the umbrella organization for environmental groups, APAMO. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports.

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

The idea of cruise tourism in Placencia was recently met with strong objections from residents and business owners of the village. During a consultation held by the Belize Tourism Board with other industry stakeholders a resounding ‘no’ echoed throughout the public meeting when the newly unveiled Tourism Action Plan 2010-2012 was introduced. Many, including the Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations, believe that mass tourism would bring with it the destruction of the natural environment surrounding Placencia.

Yvette Alonzo, Executive Director, APAMO

“We consider that [uhm] bringing cruise tourism to the south, Placencia specifically, as they are proposing could have some serious, detrimental effects on the fragile ecosystems down south. The southern part of the country is one of the most richest in terms of biodiversity and ecosystems and so we feel that having mass tourism brought in that area could have some serious negative impacts on protected areas that exist in that area, [uhm] Gladden’s Pit, Laughing Bird Caye [uhm] and other sensitive areas.”

Some residents believe that with proper planning cruise tourism can be beneficial to other places in the south despite the fact that certain areas are already being exploited.

James, Tour Guide (File: October 22^nd, 2010)

“If we can plan this thing we can make this work. I listened to the chairman in the past meeting stating that we might be stressing out Laughing Bird and we could be stressing out Silk Cayes but like Mr. Dial said we have a wide variety of offering that could take these people and they do not have to be stationed here in Placencia all day, every day. There is a lot for them to do in the south.”

Yvette Alonzo

“There are a lot of mangroves in that area and so we feel that [uhm] bringing mass tourism in that area is going to put some pressure, even more pressure than what currently exists on these areas. As you know the whale shark which is, you know, a species that comes in every year between March and June, I believe, to feed on the, because the area there is spawning that occurs there and brings in many visitors just to see that species and so millions of tourism revenues is generated just from that one attraction that that area has but that is so because of the protected areas that are in that area. Also we feel that you know Belize has established itself as an ecotourism destination that caters to small scale nature and culture based attractions and so we feel that, you know, cruise tourism can take that away.”

APAMO now joins a growing list of organizations that are against cruise tourism in Placencia. Royal Caribbean, through a real estate agent in Placencia, had already bought a three-acre parcel of land on which to develop a tourism marketplace similar to the Fort Street Tourism Village in Belize City. Discussions on the matter remains ongoing. Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.

APAMO STATES POSITION ON PROPOSED CRUISE TOURISM IN PLACENCIA

November 02, 2010

The Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations has spoken out against cruise tourism in Placencia. Edilberto Romero is the Chairman of APAMO.

Edilberto Romero; Chairman, APAMO

“APAMO, the association of protected areas management organization has looked at the issue of cruise ship tourism in Placencia as well as the environmental aspects of Placencia as well as the social aspects. Based on information provided to us APAMO has decided to support the position of BTIA Placencia and the community of Placencia that is against cruise ship tourism in Placencia. So, there are reasons...one, environmentally the area is very important eco system, marine system, lagoon system that provides a lot and attracts eco tourism, overnight tourism in the area. Cruise ship tourism is mass tourism that creates the most impact on marine and terrestrial resources and so the area stands to lose a lot environmentally. Mass tourism as we know affects overnight tourism and so that’s another aspect we are considering. Environmental aspect and the impact on current tourism as well as the social aspects of it, there’s is traffic, more waste there is the dependency on employment. We are though in Belize City for example the cruise ship already has prepaid for all the services and they use services that they have shares in it or even international to operators... and so in a certain way it also displaces the local businesses in the area. So, it can have a significant social impact in the Placencia area and also cruise ship tourism leaves very little in the country and creates the most impact and for those reasons APAMO does not support cruise ship tourism is against cruise ship tourism in the Placencia area. APAMO believes that the government, the Belize tourism board should improve the cruise ship tourism in Belize City before it even thinks about taking cruise ship anywhere in the country and especially not in Placencia.”

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