7 News Belize

Major Caribbean Cruise Operator Coming To Belize
posted (January 21, 2014)
You may not know the name Butch Stewart, but he is one of the very biggest names in all of tourism in Jamaica as a pioneer and a power broker of unmatched influence and leverage. Wikipedia says he;s the the owner or Chairman of over two dozen companies throughout the Caribbean, North America and Great Britain. including Sandals Resorts,[2] Beaches Family Resorts,[3] Appliance Traders, Ltd.,[1] The Jamaica Observer,[1] and others.

The news tonight is that he's coming to Belize, or at least one of his companies is. The Caribbean Journal reports that the regional tour company Island Routes is continuing its Caribbean expansion, with plans to open in Belize, St Kitts and Dominica this year. It quotes, General Manager David Shields who has overseen expansion into Grenada, Aruba, St Maarten and the Dominican Republic.

So what does it mean? Well, apart from the fact that a deep pocketed foreign investor is entering the local market, it would seem to be bad news for FECTAB because unlike Chukka Tours which works with cruise lines, Island Routes runs independent tours, so it would be in direct competition with companies like Yohnny Rosado's Cave-tubing.com.

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7 News Belize