And that deeply divided party is also indicative of a divided government, particularly where the issue of cruise tourism is concerned. As we reported on Wednesday, Carnival Cruise Line which had reached an agreement with government in April, is now threatening to pull out of the 100 million dollar port cruise terminal project, because the government is trying to amend those terms. Well today, 24 hours after receiving a briefing on the project form minister Mark Espat, the Belize Tourism Industry Association weighed in on the issue, condemning the Carnival arrangement.
In a statement, the BTIA says that the negotiations were conducted without consultation, and the contract, quote "may give Carnival the opportunity to plunder Belize at the expense of Belize's workers and taxpayers." The statement closes by warning that the BTIA does not place control of cruise tourism in the hands of the tourism board. The chorus of dissent against the Carnival project by overnight tourism stake holders should swell to a rousing crescendo next week when the hotel association holds a symposium on cruise tourism.