Yesterday we told you about the tremors in the tourism industry that have local tour operators upset. The allegation is that foreign tour companies
regularly receive preferential treatment from the authorities governing the tourism industry. The report focused on Dark Night's Cave Adventures owned
by American businessman Bradly Paumen, but during one of the interviews Yohnny Rosado named a couple other foreign tour companies who he claimed are
also getting preferential treatment including CHUKKA. In the case of Paumen, public records show a consistent pattern of preference for Dark Night,
from the state acquiring land for his company's private use, to allowing him to operate his tours without a valid license for the first 18 days of this
year. But CHUKKA says that the allegation that they get this type of preferential treatment also is a blatant lie. Here's how Valerie Woods put it:
Valerie Woods - Country Manager, CHUKKA Belize
"We must comply with the same regulations that FECTAB and all other operators operating out of Nohoch Cheen reserve which is the matter at hand, we
must comply with it. Our buses are checked at the village, our buses are checked at the boot. The tourism police officers go on our property that we
lease and check us there too. NICH personnel have checked up there too and that is the statement of fact that is what I'm clarifying."
Emanuel Pech
"This checking of authorities coming in and assuring everything is in accordance with regulations. It is your opinion that is has to be done across the
board. Do you feel it's being done across the board?"
Valerie Woods - Country Manager, CHUKKA Belize
"No I don't think it's being done across the board and in that I am in agreement with the operators who operate at Nohoch Cheen reserve. That has not
been done across the board, there has been many instances where I have voiced. I don't go on the radio, I don't go to your news office but there has
been many instances where we say; you have the regulation, it is public record, not by the way this year but several years ago that one must wear a
life vest, that one must wear a helmet, that there is this restriction on age or height or on increased height level. Those weren't being complied with
many operators at Nohoch Cheen. We sited it, we voiced it, nothing happened."
Woods directed those last statements in reference to inequality within the same Nohoch Che'en reserve. But as of the start of this year, she says NICH
finally started to enforce safety regulations that had been on the books for some time now. Now, as for the matter concerning Dark Night she would not
comment however she agrees with FECTAB that authorities are not enforcing the same regulations outside of Nohoch Che'en where private access to caves
is concerned. Here's how she put it:
Valerie Woods - Country Manager, CHUKKA Belize
"The statement of other companies operating where there is cave tubing being conducted, primarily for the cruise tourism. It is not a public park,
you're absolutely correct in your suggestion that they may not be getting checked and we have raised that because all you ask for is a level playing
field. When it comes to our regulating agency all you can ask for is that they apply the same rules to all operators, more importantly when you're
dealing in the same sector. And in that regard, we are in agreement; all operators who operate out of Nohoch Cheen reserve are in agreement that it
should be applied across the board. But we have voiced, we have voiced to Belize Tourism Board, we have voiced to NICH that it is unfair that some
operators are being checked and others aren't."
Emauel Pech
"What are the authorities saying, is something going to be done surely about it?"
Valerie Woods - Country Manager, CHUKKA Belize
"We don't really get any responses that corrective measures are being done."
CHUKKA is Jamaican owned company which employees over 150 Belizeans. We tried to reach authorities at NICH to have their input in this discussion but
president Diane Haylock told us she was not available and the Minister of State in charge of Culture, Hon. Elodio Aragon is out of the country.
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