Back in November, 7News told you about the rotation system at the Fort George Tourism Village which caused some of the operators to be up in arms, saying that they weren't getting a fair opportunity to engage the tourists.

But in an environment where regulation is tough, and where there are often more operators than needed, there is often one quarrel or the other.

Well, the Belize City Taxi tour guides and other freelance operators have joined up merging 5 different entities into one. One of the main criticisms that the Belizean operators get is that their approach to engage the tourists often come off as harassment, which the new union's leadership says should not happen:

Arton Bowen, President FTGZ
"It has provided a lot of benefits in the sense that, before like Mr. Pollard mentioned, there were a lot of difference in opinion and a lot of back and forth between the different groups. What have happen is that we have all decided to bridge that gap, we came together and we have put in place a set of rules that will basically govern all the freelance tour guides and taxi people in the zone, so that we could have a better working relationship."

"This helps in many ways because BTB recognizes that we have tried to make that change, so they provide a lot of assistance and it also create a better working environment whereby you no longer have a situation whereby the tourists coming out and everybody going first to talk; people have more respect for each other and also by that it also affords us better prices in terms of the tours that we get. Whereas before you use to have a problem getting the right prices for you tour. Now, you can get the right price. Things are really getting better with the assistance of the BTB and all the different groups working together out here. Basically it's a more level playing field for all involved."

The President of the Fort George Tourism Zone Tour Operator and Taxi Union says that this progress was facilitated heavily by the BTB.

Channel 7