With its scenic river, quaint charms and its proximity to other tourist destinations, Burrell Boom Village has emerged as a prime destination for cruise visitors. But growth brings pains and that's where the village's tourism related interests find themselves tonight. The outline of the story is this: a tourist pioneer in the village finds herself trying to cope: losing business to competition, trying to maintain her revenue stream while villagers try to eek out a living from the business she has brought to the village. Those villagers called us out today to say that Judith Fuller who runs a rest stop for tourists in Burrell Boom is trying to squeeze them out, while Fuller says she is just trying to survive. Who's right and who's wrong? We'll let you decide.
Alfonso Noble Reporting,
The tranquility of the Belize River with tourists collecting their memories or having casual conversation along the bank belies the brewing problem that the Burrell Boom community is facing. It seems like business as usual but for a few souvenir vendors, but these white sheets and these vehicles are simply taking bread from their table.
Sharon Dawson, Vendor
"When we came last week Saturday we were told not to come back Tuesday and we still came and there was some grass, some of those bushes right there. The people still came because they were interested in our stuff because we are the crafters, we make our own stuff. Anyway when we came today to sell our stuff, this is what we met. They are blocking us out just so that that one person can benefit from tourism here. This usually is an open area, the people usually walk around and shop. Now this is, look at that, they even park three cars over there and another over there just to block us out. They are warning people don't come around the barriers because we are dangerous and buying against their own risks and be careful and all that."
Lourdes Villanueva, Vendor
"Everything is locked off, you can't sell anything. They are telling the tourists not to come to the back because we are dangerous and all that and stuff and that is not right. What she could do is let things go back to normal because if you notice all of here we had the thatches and she broke them down. I had my stall over that side and she broke it down."
Judith Fuller, Landowner
"Its just some towels that were for sale. Its my prerogative to display any of my items for sale where I see fit."
And while she is justified in that what she is doing is effectively blocking souvenir vendors on the other side of the towel curtain. This she says is the result of a long standing dispute over who can and can't sell on her property. In better days the entire spread of her property was thriving with vendors but that simply went haywire a couple years ago.
Judith Fuller,
"Eventually people in the village started coming and saying if they can put a stall and I said of course no problem. And I had like an open door policy; anybody who want to come would come and I would help them. Fine, everybody was here for three or four years without paying one dime. They used to sell their wares and pack up sands leave. I used to be left behind with the cleaning. You know why I put up those sheets? because they do not clean their area. If you look at the way my compound is kept and you look at he way their area is kept you would see that all those boards are stacked up. Leaves would fall everyday but you pick it up. The place is a mess. There were no vehicles there, there were tents all the way around here. It was surrounded. When I told them they have pay $15 a day because I need help, they really didn't start until maybe about 9 months ago but then they weren't happy with that."
That sent the vendors looking for alternatives, moving up river to another establishment offering similar opportunities.
Sharon Dawson,
"They were four of us that went to B R Us because they were getting their own private tours over here. They wee getting from Tour Belize, I think and we asked to come in; everybody has to live. f there is five different places selling, I would like to sell at those five places but it just so happens that I was staying over there. it was four of us."
Alfonso Noble,
Why are you not there?
Sharon Dawson,
"I am still over there I have a stall there."
Alfonso Noble,
So you have a stall there and you want one here as well?
Sharon Dawson,
"Yes that's my right. I have a right. I come here to sell and I don't have a problem with paying the $15. All I want is that those stuff there and the vehicles move."
Judith Fuller,
"They packed p and went to sell at Belize R Us. They left and they came back because they can't sell over there any and so they came back here. Now you left, Belize-Cruise left, and so I am left with nothing. I am only left with one day every other week. What's there for you to get."
Sharon Dawson,
"She has been threatening to chase us from here for a long time and for about years now we've been putting up with a lot of stuff."
Judith Fuller,
"This is what creole do, 'beat the obeah man and tek whe his thing,' this is exactly what's going on here."
Alfonso Noble,
Will there ever be a solution to this?
Judith Fuller,
"I don't know, they can go away they were gone away. They can go back."
But there is no way of doing that and now fuller is only allowing those who remained loyal after a huge chunk of her business moved to Belize R Us.
Judith Fuller began her business as a recreational facility which became a rest stop for tourists taking trips to the Belize Zoo and Altun Ha.
