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Joined: Oct 1999
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Marty Offline OP
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Cruise ship tourism in the peninsula is meeting more opposition. The Placencia branch of the Belize Tourism Industry Association has rejected a proposal by the Belize Tourism Board and Royal Caribbean cruise line. Placencia residents and major investors on October twenty-second vehemently objected to the idea. B.T.I.A. Placencia says cruise tourism will have a negative impact on overnight tourism, which the peninsula prefers to promote and only a choice few would stand to benefit. The B.T.I.A. also feels that further consultations are required and its Vice Chairman, David Vernon, says the two types of tourism cannot survive together.

David Vernon, Vice Chairman, Placencia BTIA

"The overnight tourists, they're going to come into the community and they are going to eat at the local restaurant, they are going drink at the local bar, they are going to hire the local tour guide to take them out. The cruise people, they pay one price, so why come out and eat. When they come off the ship they are discouraged to eat other than within these cruise villages. So the one important thing that we need to mention here: the wholesalers of the guesthouses, the hotels and the tour operators-all these wholesalers are telling us that they will look somewhere else because the people that want to come to Placencia don't want to come to destinations where there are cruise ship people. And so rather than helping the economy in Placencia, it will actually take away from the economy of Placencia. As an example, if you're selling Placencia as a destination that has beautiful beaches, it's laidback, it's not the Cancun and then people come here and they see this masses of people walking around-which it looks like a lot of economic benefit is happening, but not really because these people even bring the water off the boat with them."

Meanwhile, a thirty million-dollar investment project for a new, expanded Port of Big Creek has been reportedly put on hold. That project was envisioned to cater to cruise ship tourism in the area.

Channel 5


Joined: Oct 1999
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Marty Offline OP
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Southern Group says cautious yes to Cruise Tourism

The Southern Regional Council of Tour Guide Association is going against the grain in respect of cruise ship tourism in the South. The Placencia Village Council and the B.T.I.A. have given a thumbs down to cruise tourism, but the council, which is committed to sustainable tourism, says it cautiously welcomes small scale cruise ship tourism with boats carrying no more than a few hundred passengers arriving on just a few days each week. It also stipulates that the cruise industry in the south should be managed and controlled by Belizeans. Dennis Garbutt, the chairman of S.R.C.T.G.A. said "If we cannot have small scale cruise ship tourism, with strong guarantees from government that it will stay small scale, then we will have no option but to join the ranks of those totally opposed to cruise ship tourism." The group is comprised of the Tour Guide Associations of Punta Gorda, Monkey River, Independence and Placencia. On Wednesday morning on Open Your Eyes, cruise ship tourism will be central in the discussion with representatives from FECTAB.

Channel 5


Joined: Oct 2003
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K
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Unofficial talley for a petition against allowing cruise ships in Placencia signed by the same people who voted in last village council elections: about 368 voted in village council elections. As of two days ago, they had 320 something signatures against. And not done yet, so assume more against.
Voting is powerful, be counted.



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When a toe comes in the door, the foot follows.


Joined: Jan 2010
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With all due respect the S.R.C.T.G.A. and Mr. Garbutt are simply fooling themselves. Possibly they think it will benefit them personally but as far as helping the village is concerned there is no reason to believe. The intentions were made clear when they were given the go ahead to build their own cruise village which will assure that the village of Placencia will not benefit from the inevitable negative impacts caused by this type of tourism.

By definition responsible government requires that the government respond to the wishes of the people they serve. This does not seem to be happening anywhere in the country but the UDP seem to feel safe in the belief that no right thinking person would restore the last bunch to power again.

Sad times for Belize but hopefully change will come as more and more people become discontent with this high handed style of government as practiced by both parties and its bi-product of highest crime rate ever. We must elect better quality of people to public office. The needs of the 'government" are put above the needs and wishes of the communities the government serves. It is a system that cannot survive, I hope. Otherwise the divide between the GOB and the citizens will become as deep as the divide between the citizens and the police. Then we will really have problems.

Last edited by Mike Campbell; 11/29/10 09:46 PM.
Joined: Feb 2011
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Viewing the current, on-going controversy with Carnival and what appears to be a strong-arm effort to dictate prices (and profits) to the local people in favour of their own "bottom line", I wonder what the current status of the Placencia "negotiation" is. Having seen what cruise lines do in other countries (destroy the reefs to create "pure, white" beaches, "licence" local people to sell goods in "tourist villages", control excursion operations) I hope that the local people think long and hard before allowing that "toe in the door".


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