Tom Greenwood and his FECTAB group - set the tone for this week in the news when they called for Chukka tours to leave Belize. By all indications, that's not going to happen; Chukka isn't going anywhere; it's invested in Bakabush Tours and plans to grow its operation in Belize.
But the ministry of tourism did hear FECTAB'S cries about the fees paid at Cave's Branch. As we've reported, small and independent tour operators pay ten dollars at CAVES branch to use the NICH facility which BAKABUSH bypasses by using the Jaguar Paw facility. There's nothing wrong with that - it's just a loophole that was created when the supreme court ruled that cave's Branch, properly known as Nohoch Che'en was not properly instituted as an archeological park. So that meant that NICH could not charge park fees. That is until today. A statutory instrument that's been in the offing for many months has been finalized and it will ensure that everyone pays at Cave's Branch.
At a press conference today, the tourism minister Manuel Herredia Junior explained why it is important to level the playing field:....
Manuel Herredia, Minister of Tourism
"Today we are here so that you all can witness that we are indeed serious and that we were indeed looking into had the rule in court to make it something that is more fair to all and hence the reason for being here today."
Seleni Matus, Director of Tourism
"This week has been filled with headlines and many stories really pointing at governments' inadequate response and we are here to say that we totally and fully recognized the issues that the industry and this sector in particular is confronting. It is a difficult time; this entire issue that we are facing currently with claims against the imbalance that foreign investment creates something that resonates across sectors that's much broader than tourism. In terms of governments commitment we are committed to ensuring as full as possible participation by local entrepreneurs in the tourism industry complimented by foreign investment, however there are safeguards that we can put in place and we intend to do so as the one minister has highlighted and the measure that we have here today and for which we are present which is ensuring that all operators are in fact paying equal entrance fees to the most important sites being used by the cruise sector."
Herredia also committed to getting protection for tour guides legislated. And that is protection from being overtaken by foreign guides. Though the Jamaican based Chukka tours has explicitly said that it will not import foreign tour guides to Belize, this legislation will ensure that no one can do so.
Herredia and Matus explained how this protectionist "carve-out" will work in the CSME era.
Manuel Herredia, Minister of Tourism
"We have one of the best tour guides in the world not only in Belize but in the world. So it is our intention to make sure since to me I feel that tour guiding should be really left to Belizeans there are the ones that have live their whole life over here, they are the ones that have left the time to learn about what we have over here and indeed we are known also for having the best service, so when you put everything together I feel that this is only the need where our local need to be protected in order that they can make their bread and butter."
Seleni Matus, Director of Tourism
"The concept basically is to amend the SI for licensing tour guides to include a provision that would ensure that tour guides are only license if they are legally resident in Belize for ten years and so that would meet the requirements and we've done the research to ensure that it is align and can be done given our participation in the CSME and so a requirement like this would basically ensure as fair play as possible and provide and an advantage to our local tour guides. So you need to be legally resident in Belize 10 years to become a tour guide."
Herredia says that special protection will go to Cabinet on Tuesday.
And also discussed at today's meeting was the plan to introduce a tourism friendly zone at the fort street tourism village. Now as anyone who's seen the place knows that's a tourism free-for-all - but Matus says the chaotic environment on the streets is causing losses of tens of millions of dollars - and this zone seeks to regulate it:.....
Seleni Matus, Director of Tourism
"We know that about 58% of all cruise passengers get off that cruise ship and do not an organize tour and so we know for a fact, we just completed our analysis that we are losing on an annual basis close to $50 million because of the poor presentation that we have as our destination. So in terms of the Belize Tourism Board we are looking to launch a pretty aggressive initiative that's looking to increase order outside of the Fort Street Tourism Village so as to ensure that a broader group of our local entrepreneurs both medium and small are benefitting from cruise tourism. What we are seeing is that the opportunity is there, however we as a destination have not organized ourselves of sufficiently to be able to capture maximum benefits and so the BTB will now have a destination planning team that will be looking to establish with the ministry of tourism of course and CEO Singh and his team a tourism friendly zone. That will be legislated and will ensure that we are coordinating visitor flows with traffic flows and bringing greater security to that area."
Also discussed today was an increased in NICH park use fees. That's the fee Belizeans and visitors pay to go to archeological sites. At most sites like Altun Ha, it's 5 dollars Belize for locals and 5 dollars US for visitors. The proposal is to increase that by 100% - in November. But Chairman of NICH, Dianne Haylock stressed it is only a proposal and it is subject to change - both in terms of the rate and the date of implementation.
