Where will Norwegian Cruise Line place $100 million development
Dean Barrow
With Crawl Caye off the table as a cruise ship destination, Norwegian Cruise Lines is looking for other areas in southern Belize for a cruise ship tourism project. On Tuesday, cabinet went with the recommendation of a five-minister subcommittee, that in respect of Crawl Caye, only pocket tourism is recommended. The NCL representative, Colin Murphy, who was in Belize was advised of the decision and boarded a flight back to Miami immediately. Tonight, there is word that NCL is looking to purchase Harvest Caye which is also located near Big Creek in southern Belize to proceed with its tourism project. Harvest Caye, which comprises some seventy-one acres, is owned by a company called Krystal Sea Limited and according to the Department of the Environment website, an Environmental Compliance Plan was approved in 2009 for a resort which never saw the light of day. While the Caye is not within the UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is early to know what the reaction will be from environmentalists. The Prime Minister this week said that cruise tourism is not under prohibition in Belize and government would be sitting with NCL to consider options.
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“Well that’s the point that I’ve just made. We do not accept that there can be any blanket prohibition in cruise tourism in southern Belize. I said last time that even with respect to Crawl Caye, the tour guide community in Placencia is strongly in support and we believe that you can find any number of players in the tourism industry that would support some kind of cruise project in southern Belize. So we will not say that the decision is a blanket prohibition. We will look at any proposal on a case by case basis. We will carry out the same sort of exercise. We have to remain certain that the right sort of balance can be maintained; that we are not sanctioning any proposal that in fact overall will be negative with respect to the environment. We made clear to NCL, even at the start of the discussion; that if the project were ever to see the light of day, their site would be limited to hosting calls only from ships of NCL—no other line would be able to go there. So there was never any question of a conflict between the interests of the Belize City people and the people of the south.”
Keep working guys. Let’s make it happen. How hard does it have to be to invite a little progress?
I do not see Harvest Caye as a viable Option. My relatives have live on it for many years and I know it very well. The island has less than five acres of land and has no place for a cruise ship to berth. The nearest place for a cruise ship to anchor is about two miles and is within the dredge channel of the port of Big Creek channel. The island looks big from afar but in the center there is a large Lake. For those visiting the island be careful, white poison wood is all over the island. South of the island has beautiful patch reef (the nearest to the mainland of Belize) which is suitable for snorkeling. The island is about four miles from the Port of Big Creek.
Here is a once in a lifetime Opportunity come knocking for Belize and the MOST INCOMPETENT CORRUPT IDIOTS find themselves leading the parade an SCRAMBLING at the last hour to accommodate. There should be a policy already in place if CABINET WAS DOING ITS JOB TO GROW AND DEVELOP BELIZE. and where are OUR EXPERTS??? last thing we need is CORRUPT POLITICIANS in charge of anything Belize WILL NEVER DEVELOP with CORRUPT POLITICIANS WHO ACT AS KNOW IT ALL EXPERTS AT EVERYTHING FROM OIL TOURISM HI FINANCE ETC.
The GOB needs to find a way to get the tourism industry going in the SOUTHERN part of BELIZE, because the SOUTH has a lot to offer when it comes to tourism. If NCL is able to meet the parameters set forth by the GOB whereby it is environmentally friendly and sustainable, I see no problem with this entity investing in BELIZE.. The country is desperately in need of investments of any type, and I see this as a great opportunity for BELIZE to create some much needed jobs. IF the GOB backs out of this deal based on what people from the city and other interest groups say, then I say that this would be a disgrace, and a big miss opportunity for PEOPLE FROM THE SOUTH TO SHOWCASE THEIR PRODUCTS AND THE BEAUTY OF SOUTHERN BELIZE.
In PM’S FOUNDATION!!!!
PM Barrow is flat out lying about the opinions of the Placencia tour guide association.
“At a special meeting called this morning (Wednesday, May 29), the board of directors of the Placencia Chapter of the Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA), passed a unanimous resolution calling on Cabinet to reject a proposal by Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) to establish a major cruise port at Crawl Caye.”
and more:
“Press Release- Belize City- May 29,2013- The Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA) views with alarm, the continued ongoing talks about Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) establishing a major cruise port off the coast of the southern Stann Creek District due east of the Placencia Peninsula. The BTIA stands firmly against this proposed establishment in Southern Belize for the following reasons:Three years ago the BTB’s own independent consultant concluded that Government should not permit the establishment of a cruise port in the Placencia area. Less than a year ago Cabinet gave its full support to the long anticipated Sustainable Tourism Master Plan.”
Politicians are getting paid under the table and needs to stop. NOW