Commencing August 1 there will be a U.S. $10 fee collected from every tourist visiting the small island of Goff's Caye. Today the Coastal Zone Management Authority held a meeting with tour operators and other stake holders to answer concerns about the new fee. But while the authority is going full steam ahead with the implementation of the new fee, we today found out that tour operators still have reservations.
Alfonso Noble Reporting,
It was merely a courtesy gathering as the CZMA formally told tour operators about the new management fee at Goff's Caye starting August 1st. For the tour company Cruise Solutions that lands as many as 400 cruise ship tourists on the island per week the U.S. $10 management fee is not good news because it'll cut significantly into its profit margins.
Kelvin Ramnarace, Cruise Solutions
“The bottom line is that these costs of entrance fees represent somewhere between one third to one half of what we are charging for the tour. And we are contractually bound to certain rates with our principals in the United States; with the cruise lines particularly and those fees represent a huge chunk of what we charge. So it will have an impact definitely in that we have a strange choice to face here: one is that we may not be able to afford to use it or we have to eat the cost. We are in agreement with some fee to charge to people to use the facility but what the fee is, is debatable.”
But while they can debate about the fees the truth is that it's already been set. And while the U.S. $10 will cut into their margins, Chairman of the CZMA Hugh O’Brien says they are willing to compromise just not now.
Hugh O’Brien, Chairman CZMA
“As I have indicated to the tour operators we are going to work out a compromise and the difficult time is going to be between now and December 1st in that according to them they have sold off their packages already and it is extremely if not impossible for them to make adjustments to their fee structure at this point in time. And so we are aware of that concern and as I mentioned to them we will sit on the table in early September to look at the figures in terms of the revenues, the costings, and we will make a compromise to allow them some kind of rebate or some kind of discount when the tourist season gets into its high gear. The challenge for us between for us between now and September is that the funds that come from Goff’s Caye are to be used to sustain the activities of the Institute and therefore we are in a catch 7 situation. To sustain those activities we need to have the fee but come December 1st we will be in a better financial situation and maybe we can then give back something to the tour operators.”
But for now with the budgetary constraints that the CZMA is under it is unlikely to happen and it is yet to be seen what effect the new management fee will have on visitation to Goff's Caye.
As part of the news management plan, come August 1st, the basic infrastructure such as toilets, mooring and a pavilion will be in place at Goff's Caye.