Anyone know about this article in the Guardian?

Multi-million dollar resort pulls out of Belize

Avalon Resorts Limited, the largest hotel development ever in San Pedro, is packing up and leaving Belize. Reports reaching the Guardian indicate that the company has already bought two parcels of land in Cancun, and General Manager Steve Perry and Project Manager Dave Fisher have been dispatched to Cancun to get that project off the ground. A temporary manager will be brought in to manage the few cabanas already completed in San Pedro but not another penny will be spent in Belize.

I know nothing of the article, and bear in mind that the Guardian is one of the two "party" newspapers (propaganda vehicles) so it should be taken with the proverbial grain of salt. If it shows up in the Reporter or Channel 5, that might mean something.
BUT: I would not be at all surprised if the project was dead.
This was a proposed MASS TOURISM project.
Mass tourism will not work in Belize and anybody who tries to create it will lose his or her shirt.
Mass tourism typically does not benefit the people in the communities where it is located; small locally owned and operated tourism projects do a much better job of spreading the wealth in the community.
Let's hope that this one died before the government made any gifts of public funds to its backers....

Hoo-Ray.Cancun is the perfect place for multi-million dollar high rise hotels. I know some will disagree, but I feel more is not always better for AC. This is a good example of how the government thinking that a short term policy of getting as many tourists to Belize as they can will solve the problem without giving consideration to the long term effect and the damage over-developement will have to long range well being of AC. AC does not need more dredging to create beaches and channels cut thru the island to accomodate high rise hotels. It needs to work on providing for the residence and tourists that are currently there reliable power and water, medical care and roads that golf carts can be driven on and are not pot hole ridden from the damage done by the large trucks trying to keep up with current construction. The powers to be need to understand what it is that bring tourists to AC and have developement that is consistant with protecting and preserving that. The marine eco-system that AC is so fortunate to have has a limit on what it can support. There are only so many toliets that can be flushed, so many bags of garbage that can be handled and only so many outboard motors running in the pristine waters that the inviorment can handle before it has a negative impact. AC does not need more foreign owned corporations that put a stress on the inviorment and contribute nothing more that a few low paying service jobs. Most of the monies generated by these corporations never gets circulated in Belize. They import most of what they consume and the dollars from their packages are prepaid outside of Belize to foreign bank accounts. After all, why would anyone in their right mind want there mony in Belize banks? Well, enough of my rantings and ravings. I am sure this gives you enough of how I feel. AC still has so much potential. But, it needs not to be blinded by short term gains at the expense what is best in the long term. Lets hope patience and planing will win over short term greed.

[This message has been edited by bywarren (edited 03-08-2002).]

Opinion:
I do not know where the "high rise" or large resort would have gone but San Pedro is not ready to handle a quick increase in visitors. Without considerable investment by the large developer(s) tax payers (other resorts) would have to fund the infrastructure.

At the outside edges (say north end where travel to town is a decision) AC may be able to handle and benefit from a large development where the influx of people would be by boat and regulated by the distance.

In the end, economic principals prevail: Increase the inflow of money and the monitary wealth of the society will increase and inflation of property will most likely occur (the scarce commodity). If wealth increases faster than the surrounding territories then AC will have benefited in monitarty wealth. Inflation and opportunity will draw attention from skilled workers from the mainland.

Those not able to change and work in such an environment will find that the inflation of living there will force them to the edges or mainland.

That's my simple opinion.

The company that was developing Avalon already has one and maybe two timeshare developments in Cancun. Let's hope they DO go back to Cancun and stay there. Their vision of Belize tourism is one that I personally would hate to see come to fruition.

--Lan Sluder www.belizefirst.com