For Tour Operators, ‘Plantain Noh Eat Like Rice’

David Almendarez

Are the Belize Tourism Board’s tourist stats bogus? That is what the Federation of Cruise Tourism Associations of Belize says. David Almendarez, a tour operator and member of FECTAB, says that cruise arrivals this year is the worst they have seen. According to Almendarez, the B.T.B. numbers do not reflect the reality on the ground and they believe that the method used by the B.T.B. to arrive at the numbers is flawed and deceptive.

David Almendarez, FECTAB

“This dah the worst slow season ever. I challenge Radisson, I challenge Biltmore, I challenge anybody inna this country fi say David Almendarez liad fi say that 2017 is the worst in the tourism season ever, ever, ever.  The hardest thing dah fi wah Belizean open a company. I know because I myself the look fi phase outta tourism. It nuh beneficial. It nuh profitable. It has been neglected. I wah run me bankrupt. I di start out new ventures. When you hear, Yhony say he have brothers and sisters weh di get out. I can tell you personally ninety-nine point nine-nine percent of the tour operators di tek wah lick. Go out dah the tourist village. B.T.B. just put out a report di say this has been a stellar year and there has been an increase in arrivals. What the people of Belize need fi know dah how B.T.B. acquire that information. Everybody weh come through that airport dah wah arrival; if dah wah Belizean dah wah arrival. Fake information. We getting off a higher season, what we fail to realize is that last year dah mi wah hurricane season and not even the hurricane season mi as bad as this season. And B.T.B. with deh defunct self wah tell we that there was an increase in arrivals.”