Jaguar Paw shuts out Cruise Solutions

It’s located about a forty minute drive from Belize City on the Western Highway and it offers tourists options of cave-tubing and zip-lining adventures. But even though this is the height of the tourism season, business at Jaguar Paw Resort has been affected by a public spat between the resort and Cruise Solutions. Yesterday the resort decided to deny access to their main partner the cruise company and there are back and forth accusations between the two. Marion Ali went to find out what was behind the decision to cut off tourists and as they say there is always two sides of the story.

Marion Ali, Reporting
The entrance to Jaguar Paw Resort, situated six miles off the Western Highway was blocked by this vehicle on Wednesday as tourists brought in by Cruise Solutions were not allowed to access the expeditions that Jaguar Paw offers.

When we reached the resort, we found police officers manning the area to keep the peace and to prevent entry to tours from Cruise Solutions, the company Jaguar Paw claims had not made good on payments for quite some time. Jaguar Paw’s attorney, Elson Kaseke, answered our questions.

Elson Kaseke, Attorney for Jaguar Paw Resort
“The owners of Jaguar Paw Resort have closed down access in respect of the cruise ship passengers being brought by Mr. David Gegg because he has failed to pay bills which he owes to the hotel, Jaguar Paw. So in order to at least ensure that he pays, they’ve closed down his access to these premises.”

Kaseke says the action taken by Jaguar Paw came after months of failed attempts to negotiate payment, and the debts now amount to a staggering seven hundred thousand dollars.

Elson Kaseke
“There has been several meetings, including approaches by lawyers but Mr. Gegg has simply failed to pay. The company has acted in outmost good faith. This is a last resort for the company. It was literally forced to do this by Mr. Gegg and if any blame should be attributed, in my view respectfully, it should be attributed at the doorstep of Mr. Gegg. If he pays the company then all of this goes away.”

Marion Ali
“What does he owe for?”

Elson Kaseke
“For several things, for example there’s the zip-line right behind here. He brings his guests and uses the zip-line and doesn’t pay the company; for several things. Now he’s building his restaurant over there. The verbal agreement which the company had with Mr. Gegg was that when he brings the guests, he will utilize the eating resources here at the hotel. He does cave-tubing using the property of the hotel and he does not pay for it. So there are several issues.”

Marion Ali
“That was only a verbal agreement?”

Elson Kaseke
“It was a verbal agreement, yes.”

Marion Ali
“So there’s no documentation of it?”

Elson Kaseke
“In respect of the zip-lining, there is an agreement which was prepared but was not signed.”

Bret Wuolfenbarger who manages Cruise Solutions’ zip-line adventures, went to investigate the situation. He did not only deny the allegations to News Five, but says it is Jaguar Paw who owes them.

Bret Wuolfenbarger, Mgr., Zip Line Adventures Bze Ltd.
“I can share quite the opposite. Actually the business of Zip-line Belize Limited does have a working relationship with Jaguar Paw. Jaguar Paw does tours though Z.A.B.L. which again, we haven’t received payment for months actually. Zip-line adventures does not owe Jaguar Paw in any way. What business dealings that they have with any other company in relation to it, are not our business. We simply don’t have anything to do with that.”

Marion Ali
“But they say that they have proof and they can provide that proof.”

Bret Wuolfenbarger
“Wonderful, that’s what the legal system is for and unfortunately they simply haven’t produced anything and I can obviously show from payments that they’re in arrears for almost a year now for simply non-payment so I don’t understand where this balance is. They pay us for the service. They bring guests to us, charge the guest x amount of dollars and then pay us a fee, a nominal percentage of that they pay for those. So I’m not sure how it entails that we owe them for service that they provide and they pay for.”

For the tourists who visited Jaguar Paw for zip-lining tours but could not enter the compound, they had to instead do the cave tubing adventure at Caves Branch, an adjacent destination operated by the Archaeological Department. And even though both parties have claimed huge losses in revenue due to the closure, the incident has created an embarrassment on the tourism industry.

Bret Wuolfenbarger
“It’s a black eye on everyone. It makes the entire region look bad. Not only them or us, but the entire area unfortunately.”

Marion Ali
“How do you try to pacify those tourists who bought this idea of coming here and zip-lining today and then come here and found that they couldn’t? How do you try to please them?”

Bret Wuolfenbarger
“Unfortunately, it’s out of my hands now.”

Marion Ali
“I see a lot of them doing cave-tubing? A lot of them are displeased?”

Bret Wuolfenbarger
“I would think. I haven’t really had a chance to speak with many. A lot of the operators that are coming in expecting to do the tour have received payment from other tourists obviously but they have to make arrangements to give that money back and not only is it difficult for them, obviously these aren’t easy times economically but to give back money that you’ve already invested to get them to the site, plus you’ve got unhappy people.”

Wuolfenbarger says their company is also now constructing their own restaurant on the compound adjacent to Jaguar Paw because they have not been happy with the service offered by that company. And while David Gegg is not in the country, he did issue a statement this afternoon on the issue. Gegg says Jaguar Paw’s gripe stems from the restaurant they are constructing which Gegg says will create forty-five new jobs.

The statement also dismisses Jaguar Paw’s claims, saying they are quote “baseless and untrue” end quote. Gegg says he remains committed to improving the standards of their services and to make Belize a stronger destination for both overnight and cruise tourism.

Meanwhile, the Belize Tourism Board’s Product Development Director, Laura Esquivel, says there’s not much that they can do to help the situation since it’s a dispute between two private companies. The only solution will have to be a legal one, and that could take some time. But until then, tourists who want to do the zip-lining adventures will have to do so at other locations further away from Belize City. Marion Ali, for News Five.