We haven't heard from FECTAB - the Federation of Cruise Tourism Associations of Belize - in a while, almost a year to be exact. That's when they held a press conference that ended with Yohnny Rosado crying - that's how emotional it was.
But, since then, the organization has taken a lower profile - as the principals try to look after their business interests - which has become a priority since Carnival Cruise Line is on a mission to undersell them.
But now, they say that they can't even survive in the margins of the industry because of a new policy handbook that NICH put out. They explained it all at a press conference at the Radisson this morning - and 7News was there:..
David Almendarez, Fantasea Belize
"We are meeting because of the unfair conditions that we feel we the native Belize at the Nohoch Che'en Archaeological site."
Jules Vasquez reporting
What they're talking about mainly is this book - the Health and Safety Policy Manual for Archaeological Sites, dated July 2014 - a book they say was developed without consultation:
Yohnny Rosado, Cavetubing.com
"They have money to teach us and gave us a manual on how to do cave tubing without consulting us."
Tom Greenwood, cave-tubing.net
"Folks beyond a shadow of a doubt, zero consultation, therefore NICH is saying I don't care if you all are guides, I don't care if BTB train you all, we don't need you all, we are working with European Union money. I address myself to the European Union. European Union, do you what is being done with your money? You have the slightest idea? Do you know that your money wrote the most ridiculous book you will find anywhere?"
It lays out in great detail the requirements for cave tubing safety - and stipulates that all children who go cave tubing must be at least four feet tall, or 48 inches.
Vitalino Reyes Sr., cavetubing.bz
"We are Belizeans, cave tubing can only be done in Belize and no other place in the world. Why would they bring some international 48 inches? We have been there with babies; 18 months old, 6 months, 1, 2, 3 years. Has anything happen? Why are they looking at this 48 inches?"
Tom Greenwood, cave-tubing.net
"Repeal this book immediately. Take it back immediately."
And they came to the press making that call today because the new regulations have hit their bottom line:
Yohnny Rosado, Cavetubing.com
"The reason we are here today is because it's financial, its foreign money. Chukka is carrying the cut and whatever Chukka cannot carry or does not want to take then Dark Knight take it. Just yesterday I got 21 people return back. They ask me if I were taking 21 kids and I said no; one in a family of 5; one in a family of 8 and one in a family of 7 I believe. Each family when the kids cannot do cave tubing we are not going and they were not mad at the government. They were mad at the park rangers, they were mad at us the tour operators, they were mad at everybody that they could see."
These operators say they specialize in family tours including small children - which the dominant operator, Chukka doesn't want:
Yohnny Rosado, Cavetubing.com
"They come to with us in a family and we provide an extra tour guide, kids life jackets - everything."
And now they say this book is taking that market away from them. The issue is so pressing that it brought Yohnny Rosado and Vitalino Reyes together - competitors whose rivalry spilled over violently from business into real life - but they embraced today because they say - this is about survival
Yohnny Rosado, Cavetubing.com
"Look at the logos; the Belize flag, the European flag, the BTB flag and the NICH flag. If they don't change this book they could consider us kill business-wise. We are shutting our shop. We cannot work with the rules that they have in there. It's just ridiculous. The government can fix this book because this book is very ugly, nasty, and dirty. I read that book and I couldn't sleep."
David Almendarez
"So Mr. Barrow please control Ms. Haylock. We are asking for her immediate removal as the head of NICH. We have no confidence in her. We are unable to meet with her. She acts like she is the CEO of Walmart. We are in Belize, it's a very small country and for 3 weeks we can't meet with you about your stupid decisions you are making."
And while the book of regulations is one thing - a new force to contend with in cave tubing is another - an operation called Dark Knight has commenced operations and it is putting a hurting on business as usual:
Yohnny Rosado, Cavetubing.com
"We are again in front of you that a contract has been sign to another giant tour operator which is not a Belizean."
Geovannie Brackett, President - COLA
"How can we get such a long contract? How can so much special privileges be given to foreigners over our local tour operators? Somebody should be fired on the spot for that ridiculous contract."
Dark Knight even offers a first, a zipline through a cave:
Tom Greenwood, cave-tubing.net
"Now you get an individual inside Dark Knight building and zipline through the caves? I know for a fact that one senior gentlemen at NICH try to stop it. Well I believe that he is wearing a hammer in his head right now. Why is an archaeological site under co-management with NICH, why is it allowed to continue and why is it that native Belizeans and anybody else cannot access that cave unless he gives permission?"
Issues that have these operators calling for the heads of the Minister and the President of NICH:
David Almendarez
"Today I am calling that we relook having him as our Minister of Tourism. I am calling that we relook having Ms. Haylock at the head of NICH because these people sell us out. That's what they do - sell us out every time."
Yohnny Rosado, Cavetubing.com
"So we are here crying to the government. Whenever before elections come, they come knocking on our doors that they are going to do the best for us. We are not asking to do the best, but do the right thing. Don't do your best because your best is not helping us, just do the right thing."
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