In other news, post COVID, tour guides across the country formed the Belize Organization of Professional Tour Guide. Their objective is to fight on behalf of their members, and to increase the professionalism in the sector. And today, they held their very first press conference. Shantel Neal was there and has this story.
Tour guides and tourism stakeholders gathered today to address issues affecting their livelihoods. Arlett Hutchinson, the Deputy Chair of the Belize Organization of Professional Tour Guides, explained exactly what they are advocating for.
Arlett Hutchinson, Deputy Chair/Exec. Admin., Belize Organization of Professional Tour Guides
"We are here to have this conference to see how we organize ourselves to start taking care of our or to sensitize the guides across Belize, more than 3,000 of us. What it means when the sustainable development master plan is fully in effect."
"The conference entails, highlighting the reason for professionalism, highlighting the scope of the professionalism guide and the impact of professionalism and unionism in the industry relating to the tour guide profession."
"When covid came we took a hard impact there and so bringing us to the status of professional guides that make it a little different because it will now standardize our profession and so we make sure that we bring to the awareness to the powers that be that just having the tourism master plan there they need to make sure that they communicate with us the proper representation that we need so that we can make sure that the professional tour guide benefits from the professionalizing of the tour guide profession."
And with an 85% above normal hurricane season in the Atlantic basin prediction this year we spoke to chairman, Keith Flowers, who shared some words of advice for his colleagues during these uncertain times.
Keith Flowers, Chairman, Belize Organization of Professional Tour Guides
"We see the change in global warming yearly. One of my advice to many of my colleagues is to not put all your eggs in one basket. We need to learn to prepare ourselves for every change as the industry we are in is a very fertile industry, at any time this industry can collapse. One of the goals I go with is that tourism is one of the fastest growing industries, One of Belize's leading money earners but it is also one of the industries that can be shut down with the blink of an eye. So in other sense as guides we should always prepare ourselves like our seniors used to say prepare yourself for a rainy day, put some of whatever you're making aside. Whenever we get into time like these, because this is what is considered our slow season right now. In times like these we would usually prepare ourselves to work with the local tourism, and be a tourist in our country where we can provide service for our locals as well."
Flowers also emphasizes that continuous education is one key way they are assisting tour guides to enhance their professional standards and advocate for their rights.
