#398444 - 01/25/11 09:52 AM
Cancellation of Cruise Calls Left, Right & Center
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And while the Butane shutdown may well not proceed, the tourism industry is going through its own kind of mini-shutdown, courtesy Carnival cruise line.
Carnival has cancelled calls to Belize by three ships that were scheduled to arrive in the coming week. Those ships are the Glory, the Legend, and the Valor, with a combined passenger count of 9,600.
That's almost ten thousand cruise passengers who won't be coming, in just a week! And add to that the cancellation of the Braemar, which is a smaller ship with 950 passengers and you've got more than ten thousand cancelled!
Only the Carnival Dream with 3646 passengers will arrive as scheduled tomorrow.
We were unable to reach the Tourism Board for comment, but it is widely known that Carnival is making the cancellations because it cannot work out suitable tendering arrangements. We can't even say where that is because the situation continues to be fluid and indeterminate….
Channel 7
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#398461 - 01/25/11 11:18 AM
Re: Cancellation of Cruise Calls Left, Right & Center
[Re: Marty]
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This kind of corporate arrogance disgusts me!
My heart goes out to all the wonderful people this will be affecting labor-wise and vendor sales-wise.
I spent 22 yrs in the military traveling all over, plus my own personal travels; lots of nice places, but fell in love with only Belize. So I feel as I should be as angry as the Belizian folks are about this. I could rant on about it, but won't.
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#398467 - 01/25/11 11:59 AM
Re: Cancellation of Cruise Calls Left, Right & Center
[Re: Diane Campbell]
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I seem to remember that there is more than one cruise line. One way to combat this is contain other cruise lines and make it know that Belize has terminated any relationship it has with Carnival lines. Make sure that other people and countries know how heavy handed they are. Just a thought. I also think the tenders look good and I can't recall there ever being any problems with the ones currently in use.
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#398480 - 01/25/11 01:09 PM
Re: Cancellation of Cruise Calls Left, Right & Center
[Re: Marty]
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All this is going on because the ultimate plan is to have one tender operator who will service all the cruise ships, who are all in on this plan to squeeze out the smaller tender operators-RC, Carnival and NCL. If Belize wants to do biz with them (and that goes for tender operators, tour operators, food service providers, gift shops) they will have to capitulate their the ships demands. Or they go elsewwhere. We are wasting our time pandering to the ships while we should be doing all we can to stimulate overnight tourism. I said that before we allowed the cruise ships and am borded hearing myself say it again and again.
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#398482 - 01/25/11 01:40 PM
Re: Cancellation of Cruise Calls Left, Right & Center
[Re: Diane Campbell]
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Probably is but we now know the half life of what the relationship will be. They also sell cruises based on stopping in Belize. My former bookkeeper is booked for this summer and took that cruise because it stopped in Belize. A couple of stories in travel mags could cast a negative image on the cruise lines.
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#398483 - 01/25/11 01:53 PM
Re: Cancellation of Cruise Calls Left, Right & Center
[Re: Katie Valk]
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Katie, you are 100% right. Why should we make cruise ships a priority when they do not want to respect our sovereign rights to regulate their activities. If we want to do business with them we first need legislation regulating the way they do business here. Through no fault of their own many Belizeans are loosing income and many have large investments now in jeopardy. Cruise ships should be operating with a contract with the GOB to protect our national interests. We should not be dependent on such a source of revenue. We need to develop our overnight market and develop our sports fishing industry and look only at sustainable developments. Cruise ships don't fall into that category.
Neither does petroleum for that matter. We have a finite amount which will soon start to deplete. Why are we basing our economy on this? The predicted 2% growth rate spells disaster for us. We have too many young people that will need jobs now and in the immediate future to accept that.
We must stop wasting time on dreaming of oil riches and cruise ship bonanzas and get down to the business of developing our country and creating jobs. PRIVATE SECTOR JOBS! We are being strangled by the size and lack of meaningful production of our government. Combined with the perceived influence of special interests it does not present a pretty picture.
The conduct of the last PUP gov combined with the performance or lack of by this government has put us in a downward spiral that will need different thinking to reverse. As unemployment rises with the natural increase in the work force, crime will also surely rise. Time to wake up and do something while we still can. That does not mean hiring more government employees.
Many government jobs and regs serve to retard commerce and make it harder to start new businesses which is the life blood of a growing economy as opposed to helping stimulate economic activity. We need a conceptual change to reverse this course. Simply waiting for the world economy to improve is not nearly good enough.
The dreaded new Labour Law will worsen the situation with the public workers making it very difficult and expensive to extract ourselves from our current mess which largely stems from a too large and inefficient government. This may be the reason we were trying to find for the new law, which is beyond understanding, to benefit public "workers" and help them maintain their strangle hold on the economy. Of course it is not the individuals just the government padding its own nest.
Edited by Mike Campbell (01/25/11 02:12 PM)
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#398538 - 01/26/11 09:14 AM
Re: Cancellation of Cruise Calls Left, Right & Center
[Re: Marty]
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CARNIVAL CANCELS MORE PORT CALLS FOR BELIZE
Three weeks into the New Year, the local cruise tourism sector continues to experience difficulties that have stakeholders on edge. Since last week, Carnival Cruise Line has been cancelling port calls in Belize because of an ongoing difficulty in reaching suitable arrangements for ferrying passengers to shore. Two ships were expected to arrive this morning; but only the Carnival Cruise ship ‘Dream’ dropped anchor in the Belize City harbor. When Love News visited the Fort Street Tourism Village this morning we found that the pinch is already being felt on the ground.
Jason Weatherburn - Tour Guide
Financially it is a mess; I mean if you look around the village here all these people here waiting on jobs you know. If the ships have probably come in it would have been a better chance for us to get something out here but there is nothing happening."
Maria Novelo - Reporter
"So you haven’t gotten any business today?
Jason Weatherburn - Tour Guide
No business for today, I have to go home without money today, so."
Maria Novelo - Reporter
"Do you foresee it getting better?"
JasonWeatherburn - Tour Guide
"I don’t see it getting any better until the problem with the tenders and the whole organization of out here you know, when that is fully addressed then I see it better but for now I don’t see it getting better.”
Greta Hasek – Tourist Village Vendor
“Very few people are coming in here and we are feeling very disappointed, we hope that this matter will resolve as soon as possible because you know it is not good for the country. We depend on tourism and we depend on tourism and it is necessary to maintain a standard in Belize but we need to go along with what the people wish outside also."
Maria Novelo - Reporter
"Now, if push comes to shove, give us the worst case scenario?"
Greta Hasek - Tourist Village Vendor
We expect things to happen very shortly, we are optimistic that this matter will be resolved as soon as possible.”
Mark Lopez – Tour Guide
“We depend on our income from those that walk off the ship that are not booked with other tour companies. As you can see I have in my hand, I have the Belize City map that we try to explain to the tourists, we also have a price list from the Belize Tourism Board, and of course we have another list that has attractive prices of the tours that we offer. Now with all of this, still nothing. Why, because carnival cancellation no people is coming out, nothing at all. “
he cancellation of port calls by Carnival cruise ships “Legend”, “Valor” and “Glory” have been posted, meaning as many as ten thousand cruise passengers will not be making it to Belize this week. And as the cruise passengers stay away by the thousands, frustration and tensions continue to mount inside Belize’s volatile cruise tourism industry. Reporting for Love News, I am Maria Novelo.
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#398543 - 01/26/11 09:25 AM
Re: Cancellation of Cruise Calls Left, Right & Center
[Re: Marty]
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The cruise tourism sector of Belize has experienced quite a “rollercoaster” of events during the first few weeks of 2011, as Carnival Cruise Lines, Belize’s largest cruise tourism provider, has cancelled all but one of its calls to Belize for this week. This is a direct response to its, demand for a price decrease by local tender providers and the usage of larger vessels with a capacity of 150 to 200 persons.
Information to us is that there will only be one call to our shores and that will be tomorrow, Tuesday, January 25, 2011. The call to Belize will be by Carnival Dream cruise ship with a capacity of 3,646.
The other calls which were cancelled for this week are as follows: on Wednesday the 26th, Carnival Glory with a capacity of 3,500 passengers; on Thursday the 27th, Carnival Legend Cruise with a capacity of 2,667 passengers, and Carnival Valor Cruise with a capacity of 3,500, and on Friday the 28th, Braemar with a capacity of 950 passengers.
In addressing this matter we were told by a source that the Government of Belize will be briefed by members of the Belize Tourism Board in regard to this issue of Carnival’s decision to cancel its calls until their demands are met. This issue is said to be one of many discussions to take place in the Cabinet tomorrow whereupon GOB should make clear its position.
Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Tourism, Lindsay Garbutt, in an interview with us tonight spoke on BTB’s continued support in ensuring the livelihood of the local tenders: “What the local operators are doing is looking at what it is that they can do to make it economically viable for them. That negotiation to a certain extent is to be a negotiation on the market; our main [GOB’s] interest is to try and buy time for our local people and to help to make sure that they are not disenfranchised.”
Garbutt told us that as far as he knows the local tenders were in negotiations for the price and that he is not aware of a set increase by local tenders or whether Carnival had indicated a set decrease.
Carnival’s boycott should alter BTB’s 2011 eight percent projected increase for cruise tourism visitors and only time will tell what other obstacles this sector will have to face.Amandala
One Carnival Cruise ship made a call on Belize today - but no more are expected this week. Carnival has cancelled calls by three ships that were scheduled to arrive, one on Wednesday and two on Thursday. The ships are the Glory, the Legend, and the Valor, with a combined passenger count of 9,600.
The issue is working out a deal with the boat tenders - and that sticking point in that deal is price per head per passenger. As we understand it, Carnival wants a price of five dollars per head, while the best the Belizean group can offer is five dollars, seventy-five cents per head.
That - as we understand it is the primary sticking point - but Carnival also wants only the large tender boats to service their cruise ships when they are the only ones in port, which is also a sticking point.
So, despite involvement at the highest levels the matter remains unresolved, but under negotiation from multiple angles with multiple players.
Channel 7
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 Cruise tourism continues to spin out of control. Today only one Carnival line called on port; that’s the Valor, but the Dream with a capacity of three thousand nine hundred passengers did not make it to port. It gets worse for the rest of the week when the cancellations will mean that at least ten thousand visitors will not stop in Belize and a quick calculation of revenue loss based on average expenditure per tourist is in the range of eight hundred thousand dollars. Carnival Cruise Line has been playing hard ball and wants to pay five US dollars per head to be transported to shore while the tenders are charging seven US. EuroCaribe is for now carrying on the tendering of passengers, but on the ground, tender operators as well as traders are losing business. The People’s United Party today issued a press release regarding the current state of affairs in the industry in light of the cancellations. Former Product Development Manager and member of the P.U.P. executive Anthony Mahler told News Five that G.O.B. and B.T.B. have both failed in the way they chose to address the issue of tender operations in Belize.
Anthony Mahler, P.U.P. Executive
 Anthony Mahler “It has been a total debacle in the way the government has handled this situation in terms of their participation through B.T.B. As you can recall the prime minister led a delegation to Miami and came back and said they’ve saved another industry which we now know has been a total lie on behalf of the prime minister and that delegation from B.T.B. And so we in the People’s United Party say that any industry as important as the tourism industry should given priority from the government and its officials.”
 Isani Cayetano
“As a former tourism official how could this situation have been brokered in a mutually beneficial way?”
Anthony Mahler
“Well to me, like I said again, the prime minister and his delegation erred in their actions. First of all, it was a totally private sector driven discussion [and] they got into the picture and went up to Miami which showed a sign of weakness going to the negotiating table that we need this cruise line, especially Carnival, and trust me when a cruise line like Carnival smells blood they’re going after the bait and so this is what is happening. They’re playing hardball and now B.T.B. and the government have turned their backs on the local operators totally, from what I understand.  In fact they are saying now that it’s a private sector driven discussion and they don’t want to be a part of it. But there is always something that the government can do I think, for example, when the P.U.P. got into office in 1998 they were a few cruise ships coming to Belize, calling on Belize and what was the reason? The head tax was at twenty dollars, the docking facility was inappropriate out at the Radisson so we reduced the head tax, we looked for a private sector partner in developing a docking facility or where the people can disembark actually, not docking facility but where they can disembark comfortably and now we have the Fort Street Tourism Village.”
The release from the opposition goes on to say, “The present uncertainty surrounding the future of the industry is a clear indication of the lack of a defined policy for the regulation of the industry for the mutual benefit of the cruise ship companies and the Belizean workers in the industry.” News 5 |
Edited by Marty (01/26/11 09:41 AM)
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#398546 - 01/26/11 09:30 AM
Re: Cancellation of Cruise Calls Left, Right & Center
[Re: shuffles]
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We could regard this as the start of our real efforts to prompt eco-tourism and overnight tourism instead of courting a fickle business that we cannot control. Cruise ships, if they are to come, should all be under contract and have penalties for not showing up. This is an reasonable position when so many invest so much and have come to depend on this fickle trade which is then used against us. By not having regs or contracts in place we have left ourselves open for abuse from the foreign company. Our size makes us easy prey and we only have our sovereign rights to protect us, if we exercise them. The total lack of respect for our government, PM and people is appalling. Better they stay away and we develop our country from the inside out, not being dependent on foreign interests. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.
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#398556 - 01/26/11 10:21 AM
Re: Cancellation of Cruise Calls Left, Right & Center
[Re: Marty]
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From a friend....Well, Carnival are on www.cruisecritic.com telling the world that they are cancelling ships to Belize due to "safety issues" with tendering in Belize. They are lying through their teeth, which is no surprise where Carnival is concerned. For ten years the ever growing fleet of tenders, getting larger and larger, have successfully, incident free, moved millions of guests from ship to shore and back. Carnival merely wants to give the lucrative tendering to one of their lambiscones, Rick O'Shea, and not succeeding, are making Belize, our Prime Minister, our private sector in cruises, and all those good people in official positions trying their best, looking bad. However, there are clever people also going on the web forums ( www.tripadvisor.com is another good one), and commenting openly on Carnival's greed and lies. Five islands of the Caribbean had to discipline Carnival for their behaviour, including the highly prized Jamaica; Honduras just did it, refusing to let in the problematic Chukka Cove, Carnival's darling operator; Cayman told them to get stuffed and darn nearly kicked them out. And they definately cannot fool around in Mexico, Guatemala or Costa Rica. No sir. We must become like those nations - tell Carnival to get stuffed. They are still allowing badmouthing on board of Belizean entities; still holding back people on board who do not buy their tours; still cutting down shore time, to create problems for independent operators, guides and taxis on shore. Please trust me when i tell you that none of this happened when they had a local operator for many years; notice how since Chukka Cove came to Belize in June last year, all these problems suddenly cropped up, one after the other? Check out the latest - Chukka Cove building a huge rampart INSIDE the crystal caves at Caves Branch. And NICH going ballistic on them. Carnival and Chukka DO NOT CARE - what they want, they try to get, come hell or high water. Well, how about GIVING them hell and high water and telling them to get the hell out of Belize. Other cruise lines want the space - give it to them. AND TELL CARNIVAL THAT IF THEY WANT TO RETURN, OR AT THIS TIME, STAY IN BELIZE, THEY MUST SIGN AN AGREEMENT WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF BELIZE SUBSCRIBING TO THIS : ALL WATER TRANSPORTATION, ALL GUIDING, ALL LAND TRANSPORTATION, ALL TOUR OPERATIONS AND ALL TENDERING MUST BE 100% NATIVE BELIZEAN, OR SCRAM. The news of this will electrify the world, and Carnival will find itself in serious s..t all over the destinations, where, trust me, they give what trouble they can to get their way. Belize will look LARGE, thank God.
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#398566 - 01/26/11 11:29 AM
Re: Cancellation of Cruise Calls Left, Right & Center
[Re: Marty]
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Thank you for posting this....I have a few friends boarding a ship to cruise the Caribbean next week....I have asked them to share this information with other passengers in the event that they do not make the Belize Port of Call. They are scheduled in their itinerary to spend a full day in Belize and they have already booked tours on the mainland.
_________________________
My friends call me Judyann....
I hope to make a few on this message board
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#398570 - 01/26/11 12:31 PM
Re: Cancellation of Cruise Calls Left, Right & Center
[Re: Marty]
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Sounds like the Belizian Government needs to put out a detailed press release describing the issue at hand and its vile contrivance to the Belize nation. Bad press goes along way.
_________________________
Reality is only an illusion that occurs due to a lack of alcohol
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#398573 - 01/26/11 12:43 PM
Re: Cancellation of Cruise Calls Left, Right & Center
[Re: Marty]
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I thing Pug should write it too!
_________________________
Reality is only an illusion that occurs due to a lack of alcohol
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#398604 - 01/26/11 06:12 PM
Re: Cancellation of Cruise Calls Left, Right & Center
[Re: shuffles]
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Shuffles, could you please point me to the link for the Roatan video? Thanks in advance.
_________________________
A fish and a bird can fall in love, but where will they build their nest?
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#398608 - 01/26/11 07:12 PM
Re: Cancellation of Cruise Calls Left, Right & Center
[Re: seashell]
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SS, if I may, I think this is the one she references http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2w7CpEqZgU
_________________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _________________ _ _ _ _ _ _
But then what do I know, I am but a mere caveman
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#398622 - 01/26/11 09:48 PM
Re: Cancellation of Cruise Calls Left, Right & Center
[Re: Marty]
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Hey!! Son of a gun, that's my friend! Known her for years. Most recently ran into her again on Roatan, this past November. She was telling me then, that she was now spending the majority of her free time in Placencia.
As for Roatan, I didn't see all the things occur in the same way that Sandra did, regardless, my experience (6+ years) supports what she says as true. My hopes and wishes for Placencia, are that the government will realize that there is not and never will be enough financial gain to outweigh the ultimate devastation that WILL occur.
_________________________
A fish and a bird can fall in love, but where will they build their nest?
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#398636 - 01/27/11 01:47 AM
Re: Cancellation of Cruise Calls Left, Right & Cen
[Re: seashell]
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I don't understand why Dangriga is not considered for the cruise port. The Commerce Bight Pier is a deep water port ( the only one in Belize ) does not require tenders, has plenty of adjacent empty available land, decent adjacent beach,is centrally located to all the inland attractions and the trip to the ruins would be over the Hummingbird Highway, which is, by far, the most scenic highway in Belize. Dangriga would probably also welcome the addition to the economy. Also trips to Thatch, Coco Plum, and Southwater Cayes are easily within reach for the one day stopovers as are lagoon and Sittee River yours.
Just Belize politics I guess. Dangriga is Garifuna and Creoles control the government.
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#398866 - 01/29/11 11:43 AM
Re: Cancellation of Cruise Calls Left, Right & Center
[Re: Marty]
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Tender Love and Carnival Cruise Lines: What's Going on in Belize?  Earlier this week, we reported that Carnival had canceled calls in Belize because the port's tenders didn't meet the cruise line's standards for "safe, comfortable and efficient transport" when it came to shuttling passengers from ship to shore. Now the Belize Tourist Board is coming out with its side of the story. According to Seleni Matus, the tourist board's director of tourism, Carnival Cruise Lines is forcing tender operators to enlarge their fleets and take out higher levels of insurance -- while demanding a reduced rate at the same time. Matus said Carnival approached the Belizean government at the beginning of the year to discuss new corporate policies the line was implementing, including the stipulation that all tenders carry at least 150 passengers. (Belize's fleet has carrying capacities ranging from 80 to 200.) In addition, Carnival wanted the tender operators to increase insurance coverage up to $2 million. Carnival spokesman Tim Gallagher concurs on these points, telling Cruise Critic that "we advised a Belize contingent led by the Prime Minister in early January, that if they were not able to provide the tenders we needed to meet our standards that we would have to reduce the number of calls there." But was it possible? Not according to Matus. "They didn't allow a transition period and just expected us to comply with the new requirements immediately," she says. The Belizean government approached Carnival about a more viable way to meet the requirements. Carnival agreed to a nine-month transition period, and the government would help the tender operators upgrade the fleet by October 1 with more affordable loans. Despite the transition period, Matus contends, Carnival was still trying to avoid using the smaller ships that make up the majority of Belize's tender fleets. Hence, the five canceled calls to date. Carnivals' rationale, says Gallagher, is that the "larger tenders in Belize ... are the only ones that meet our current standards for safety, comfort and efficient transport of our guests." He says that Carnival's safety standards include "having a valid certificate for transportation of passengers and confirmation of all safety and operating requirements such as life vests and seated shelter for all passengers in the event of inclement weather." He says that not all of the smaller tenders demonstrate that they meet these standards, and many do not have covered seating available to all guests for rainy days or when sea conditions are rough. While Matus agrees that Belize does need to acquire larger tenders since ships visiting the port are carrying more and more passengers, she asserts that the tenders have a "stellar safety record." The Belize Tourist Board confirms that "out of the hundreds of thousands of passengers [the country's three tender operators] have taken from ship to shore, there have been only two claims reported due to slipping and falling." Matus also notes that "Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean are fine with the situation." The two lines have told us they are not currently canceling calls to Belize, but at press time could not say if they have experienced any problems with the tender operators. But here's the kicker, according to Matus: In addition to enlarging the fleet and taking out more expensive insurance, Carnival also is requiring that the tender operators charge the line 20 percent less for their services, or else the line would discontinue calls to Belize permanently. "How can our partner be so unreasonable?" Matus asks. "No one here wants to lose their job. We want to be good partners with Carnival. But the new policies are economically unviable." The demands put the Belizean government in a tough situation. Tourism makes up 22 percent of Belize's GDP, with one in seven people employed in the tourism sector. Carnival makes up 60 percent of cruise ship calls and 70 percent of cruise passengers. With the average cruise ship visitor spending between $45 and $80 in Belize, a Carnival pullout would be devastating to the economy. Gallagher does not dispute that Carnival wants a cheaper rate from the tender operators, but offers an explanation for the request. He claims that "we can no longer sustain paying rates that are not competitive in that market." So is Carnival using its size and power to force Belize to meet its terms, or is Belize trying to cheap out on Carnival? It's unclear. What is clear is that a solution to this stalemate may not be immediately forthcoming, as the parties continue to debate over the tender arrangements, claiming the other side is being unreasonable. Bottom line: If you've got an upcoming Carnival cruise to Belize, don't be surprised if you're diverted to Mexico instead. --by Erica Silverstein, Senior Editor. Cruise Critic
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#398874 - 01/29/11 12:07 PM
Re: Cancellation of Cruise Calls Left, Right & Center
[Re: Marty]
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The small local tender operators, not just the big ones, must be included in the mix of tender operators allowed to service Carnival Cruise ships that call in Belize. That’s non-negotiable. This is Belize Government’s formal and final position in the ongoing negotiations with Carnival Cruise Lines.
 | | CEO Lindsey Garbutt and Director Seleni Matus. |
Tourism Ministry Chief Executive Officer Lindsay Garbutt and Director of Tourism Seleni Matus expounded on the Government’s new position on Thursday, January 27.
“We have to have Belizean tenders in the mix of tenders, because in terms of what Carnival was asking, they wanted all big tender Actually that is what started this whole thing. Essentially in the response, Government is saying: Listen, we need to ensure that small tenders are involved in any way you mix it. That has been defined to Carnival now; That is the point that is not negotiable anymore,” Garbutt said.
This power stance by GOB is essentially a “take-it-or-leave-it” move that Matus labeled as “one of the most critical elements in the negotiations.”
Matus said, “I think it’s the most important factor. Government has weighed in a final position... that’s critical because they [Carnival] now have in their hands the final position.”
Garbutt says Government’s bold move should have been taken from over a decade ago when cruise tourism was still in its infancy in Belize.
This position, he explained, brings the matter into its proper perspective and sends a clear national message to Carnival.
“This is not about Carnival; this is about Belize. This is about us recognizing that a poor country has a need to protect the interest of its people and their livelihood and their investments.” Garbutt said.
Therefore, the end game, whatever it may be, must incorporate both the big and small operators, and GOB is making it clear that any deviation from that will be rejected.
Garbutt and Matus explained that GOB is expecting a response from Carnival “soon”. Whether Carnival will concede to Belize’s nationalistic position is unknown and basically has the BTB and the tender operators on the edge of their seats.
The Reporter
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#398875 - 01/29/11 12:09 PM
Re: Cancellation of Cruise Calls Left, Right & Center
[Re: Marty]
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While negotiations continue in an effort to reach a mutually approved fee per passenger that tender operators can charge cruise ship visitors, and as Carnival Cruise Lines considers two proposals submitted yesterday, Wednesday, January 26, by tender providers, the Belizean economy has lost revenues in the neighborhood of an estimated $1,080,000, due to several cancelled cruise ship stops that resulted in fewer cruise ship tourists arriving on our shores.
In an interview today at the Belize Tourism Board, Chief Executive Officer Lindsay Garbutt and the Director of BTB, Seleni Matus, revealed that since the series of recent cancellations of calls to Belize by Carnival, Belize’s number one cruise service provider, the cruise lines have been handed two proposals.
Carnival is demanding that the tender operators use vessels capable of transporting a minimum of one hundred and fifty passengers. Carnival has also stated a preferred fare of $5.00 US per passenger as the fee that tender operators should charge cruise ship tourists.
The two proposals were drafted by tender service providers — but not the united body of tender operators which was first agreed upon by the Government of Belize and Carnival’s senior vice president, Ruben Rodriguez, during a meeting in Miami on January 7 and 8 this year.
Garbutt told us, “The latest is that two proposals have been presented on behalf of the local tender operators, [which] include a mix of small tenders, so we are just waiting now for Carnival to respond to whether or not they accept those proposals or not.
“…basically what we are saying is that we have to have Belizean [small] tenders in the mix of tenders”.
The two entities to submit their proposals to Carnival include Belize City Tenders, owned by Stanley Longsworth, and Maritime Estates. Carnival is to choose which proposal they prefer, but no timeframe for Carnival’s selection process has been set.
Director Matus was asked about the role of Martha Williams, owner of Eurocaribe, and she responded: “I wouldn’t say [that she is] at the forefront, but she is a part of the landscape of the two entities that have submitted their proposal.
“…In addition to the proposal, and I think it is the most important factor, that government made a final position, and that is critical, because they [Carnival] now have in hand the final position and the proposals.
“Regardless of what we think their tactics to be, we [the BTB and Government] have always remained and retained a very consistent message throughout it all, that for the destination, it is absolutely critical that the end game includes local operators and that is a position that we have not backed down from, and will not back down from”.
The local small tenders, while they will not be at the head of the contracted agreements, will still be involved in the business of tendering and must still progress toward the October 1, 2011 cut-off period for the upgrading of their vessels and standards.
“The price is really a market thing more than a government thing; our insistence and concerns since the beginning is to protect the small tenders to ensure that they form the part of any group that provide tendering services; they [Carnival] must set a price that is economically viable for them and we cannot be involved more than to a basic knowledge of what that is,” Garbutt has declared.
We asked Garbutt whether the government is seeking to reach a binding agreement with Carnival in order to avoid a reoccurrence of this past month’s events, to which he responded, “The proposals are expected to form the basis of a contract, how long that contract is we are not sure until we get a response from them [Carnival]”.
Matus also spoke on the economy, “There are some figures to assess [what] the economic impact has been and could be if there isn’t a solution found; there have been five calls that have been cancelled and we estimate that the in-destination span of the cruise passengers is anywhere between US $40 and US $80.
“The bulk of our passengers are from Carnival, so as the government, at the negotiating table, there is a huge responsibility to try and find a solution and that solution can only be crafted by working very closely with the private sector; the market has to work itself out, but Government has to be right there”.
We asked the BTB representatives whether Carnival had been asked to step down from their decision to cancel calls until their demands are met. Matus explained that Carnival refused to resume calls until the negotiations are finalized, saying that it is all about “business.” Amandala
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#399000 - 01/30/11 04:57 PM
Re: Cancellation of Cruise Calls Left, Right & Center
[Re: Marty]
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And in two yrs time, there will be a port and the 150 seater tenders will not be required.
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#399156 - 02/01/11 08:48 AM
Re: Cancellation of Cruise Calls Left, Right & Center
[Re: Marty]
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great video -- a well as the one after it. Makes me very sad.
_________________________
Say it 5-times fast: "I buy my BBQ and Belikins on the beach at BCs!"
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#399164 - 02/01/11 09:32 AM
Re: Cancellation of Cruise Calls Left, Right & Center
[Re: Marty]
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 There’s still uncertainty in cruise tourism tonight. As it stands, Carnival is yet to make a decision on proposals presented on behalf of the Executive Tenders of Belize Ltd which says it is not budging from the six dollars and fifty cents it charges to ferry passengers to and from the cruise line. The tender operators are not the only ones that are feeling the financial pinch, there are many others directly or indirectly that are being impacted by the ongoing standoff. News Five’s Isani Cayetano has a look at the financial implications brought about by last week’s cancellations of four vessels.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
Negotiations between tender operators, the Belize Tourism Board and cruise line executives remain open despite the cancellation of several ships within Carnival’s fleet last week. A total of four vessels; namely Carnival Dream, Glory, Valor and Legend were all redirected to other ports in neighboring countries. The withdrawal of weekly visits to Belize came as a result of failure on the part of Carnival and local tender operators to agree on a fixed rate to ferry passengers to the Fort Street Tourism Village.
 While the world’s largest cruise line remains at odds with the newly formed Executive Tenders of Belize Ltd. revenue for several organizations dependent upon cruise tourism has seen a decline. These agencies which include the Belize Tourism Board, the Fort Street Tourism Village, the Protected Areas Conservation Trust and the Belize City Council are each reliant on proceeds derived from what is called a head tax. The fourteen dollar fee is calculated such that F.S.T.V. gets the lion’s share of the profit at eight dollars per head. The remainder is then divided between B.T.B. and PACT, the former, three dollars and twenty cents and the latter, two dollars and eighty cents. Individually, each agency donates thirty-three cents to the Ministry of Local Government which in turn deposits a dollar into the Belize City Council’s account.
 Tender operators have put losses at more than a lion dollars but the B.T.B. says that last week alone the industry realized an estimated loss of eight hundred thousand dollars. That’s an average of eighty dollars being spent by each of the ten thousand visitors that would have disembarked in Belize. In translation it’s a deficit of seventy-six thousand, seven hundred dollars for the tourism village; twenty-eight thousand, seven hundred for the tourism board and twenty-four thousand, seven hundred for PACT. The Belize City Council, on the other hand, would have gotten ten thousand dollars.
 The financial impact from losses within that three-day period, Tuesday thru Thursday, also extends to the private sector but it is the local government, the tourism board and PACT that will suffer the brunt of the shortfall. Monies derived from the head tax is critical to the City Council’s municipal upkeep while the Protected Areas Conservation Trust uses its proceeds to fund various organizations including Ya’Axche and Restore Belize. Complete withdrawal of Carnival Cruise Line from Belize would not bring an end to the collection of head tax from cruise tourists but it would definitely bring significant losses to these three agencies which rely heavily on that revenue stream to finance their social projects.
Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.
This week, Legend is the only vessel from Carnival’s fleet that is scheduled to call in Belize with two thousand five hundred passengers. Channel 5
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#399480 - 02/04/11 09:22 AM
Re: Cancellation of Cruise Calls Left, Right & Center
[Re: Marty]
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And while that Travel Advisory won't affect Belize, cancellations by Carnival Cruise Lines have profoundly affected earnings by those employed in the cruise industry.
But what do the guests think of all this back and forth when their calls to Belize are cancelled? After all, they were probably looking forward to it in their vacation.
Today we had the opportunity to speak with several passengers from the Carnival Cruise Line. They told us that while they haven't been briefed on what's going on Belize they think that the controversy with Carnival and the Boat Tenders isn't fair.
Andrea Polanco
"What do the people say to you before you leave the ship and come into Belize?"
Marilyn Welch, Tousist
"Nothing, nothing about Belize. I found out all of this on cruisetrading.com before I even boarded this ship in Tampa."
Mick Hill, tourist
"We didn't hear anything, just the normal thing like on any other island like some things to do and things like that."
Andrea Polanco
"So are you aware that there is an ongoing controversy with Carnival here in Belize?"
Cindy Washburn, Tourist
"Yes I was aware of it a couple weeks before we cruise. We have read online some of the controversy and what I understood was that Carnival was being ask to pay $7 per person for tender for Belize. currently it was $5 a person and I thought it was a little ridiculous - this was going on over $2 a head considering carnival is huge corporation granted they have money to make and people to please but $2 and something they are just going to pass on us anyway so to miss out on seeing Belize and experiencing Belize over $2 I was really disappointed to think that we might miss out."
Andrea Polanco
"Having experience Belize already, how would you feel had this tour been cancelled?"
Joey V, Tourist
"I would have been very sad. When we first started talking about coming to Belize, my parents suggested going cave tubing and at first I wasn't too excited about it to tell you the truth but at the last minute my girlfriend and I decided
to actually go along with it and instead of just cave tubing we had a jungle trek where the local tour guides told us about plant life and the flora and the trees and different animals and like what different pieces of bark and what leaves can do and how they are used. On the trip here instead of just 45 minutes of just sitting, it was 45 minutes of looking at our surroundings being told about the history and being told about like the growth and things that have happen here and I don't think you could get that with an international group."
Mick Hill, tourist
"I was really upset like I got cheated out of one of my favorite places to visit. I have been here before and so one of my highlights of this trip was going cave tubing and so I would have been upset. "
Marilyn Welch, Tousist
"I would have been horrible sad and fortunately it wasn't cancelled. We were planning before the day we left. They were saying that multiple cruise ships were having and alternate port in costa Maya which part of the reason we took this particular cruise was to come to Belize, I would have been very disappointed."
The tourists that we spoke with today told us that they've had a great experience in Belize, and will still return to Belize even if they're not able to be return on Carnival, should the Cruise Line boycott Belize.
Channel 7
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