By all indications the Carnival port project is under attack. First, government wants to impose a cap on the number of visitors the world's largest cruise company can bring to Belize per year, and second, hotel owners who cater to the more lucrative overnight tourists, are ready to give a big thumbs down to the biggest tourism project ever promised to Belize. But that's the problem it's just a promise and one that according to the president of the Hotel Association, is not backed up by a plan. We found out more today at a hotel association symposium on the cruise industry:
Jules Vasquez Reporting
Mariam Roberson – Vice President Belize Hotel Association
"In the future Belize must protect, preserve and manage our natural and historical resources. Once these resources are pillaged damaged or gone the cruise ships will stop coming. Our overnight visitors will stop coming and our industry and our natural heritage including our economy will be gone forever."
And in the view of these leading lights of the Belize Hotel Association, the mass surrender to cruise tourism as evinced by the 100 million dollar Carnival deal is just the kind of thing that can destroy tourism for everyone:
Maria Otero – President Belize Hotel Association
"The way it is Carnival has no caps at this time. No caps on the amount of…"
Jules Vasquez
"They have no caps but they are complaining that government is trying to put in a cap."
Maria Otero
"Well it should be a cap, it is restrictions for everybody and it should be for them. Besides that we don't have the infrastructure that it takes to handle no caps on arrivals on the cruise ships."
Jules Vasquez
"However there are a lot of people who feel that that project will have economic benefits for the South Side of Belize City. A lot of people feel that the hotels which you represent are all owned and controlled by foreign interests."
Maria Otero
"I don't agree with that necessarily. Some of them might be but there are a lot of hotels owned by Belizeans. If they were not Belizeans at the time they built the hotels, they have become full time Belizeans and they live here and raise their kids here. It might be true personally I am a foreigner but we employ Belizeans. How many Belizeans are employed by the cruise ships? Now, yes it is a very sensitive issue, the one with the South Side because they need the development and it needs to get better but, where is the development plan? Has anyone seen that? It's somewhere around?"
But however these mostly overnight tourism interests may carp about the still undisclosed Carnival contract, proponents say this industry does contribute. Just ask this morning's odd man out, cruise agent David Gegg:
David Gegg – Tourist Agent
"The hotel sector generally seems to think that cruise tourism is not good. I think it's totally untrue that they pay all the taxes and we cherry-pick. We pay a tremendous amount of taxes, hell of a lot of taxes as a matter of fact. We do make a major contribution."
And if the overnight interests believe that the contribution is disproportionate to the damage a million cruise visitors can do, they can complain how they like, after all, it was the prime minister and head of government there at the groundbreaking with his executive endorsement.
David Gegg
"I think people in government have made it very clear that cruise tourism is here to stay and hopefully the BHA realizes that they have to work with us and hopefully this forum is being sponsored with a positive view in mind."
Jules Vasquez
"Realistically isn't there a chance that an event like this is held for the rabble rousing effect to say: ‘o.k we have a massive formal indictment against the cruise tourism industry' and sort of to try to take cruise tourism back, push cruise tourism as far as they can."
David Gegg
"I don't think that will happen. I don't think the BHA is capable of making that happen."
With the carnival project on the ropes, this event will determine if the hotel association has enough juice and BTB backative to push it to the tipping point.
While the Belize Tourism Board was represented by no less than 6 Senior staffers, it was expected that tourism minister Mark Espat would make an address. We are told that because of his cabinet Commitment, he could not appear, but will make a much anticipated address on cruise tourism tomorrow.