7 News Belize

NCL Says FECTAB Misleading
posted (December 15, 2016)
So, what about FECTAB's other complaint against Harvest Caye? According to the local operators, they had guests booked on NCL cruise ships. They say that these guests bought tours from them, and they couldn't go on those tours because, instead of going to Belize City, they landed at Harvest Caye, far from their intended tour operators.

We asked Murphy and Heredia about that one, and they said that FECTAB is misleading the public. Here's how they put it:

Daniel Ortiz, 7News
"We have heard FECTAB complained that some of their guests would have been on ships that were supposed to go to Belize City and those ships were directed here and those guests were locked away from them."

Colin Murphy, Senior VP - NCL
"Well I've heard that but I can't believe it's true frankly, because we've been working with the government, with BTB for years on this project and everyone knows what we were planning to do. Everybody knew what the start date was and actually as you know, we delayed this project a year so that the folks in Belize City got an extra 12 months of calls from us that was originally communicated. So everyone knew what the start was for Harvest Caye. If they're taking passenger bookings for days on the ship, they knew it wasn't going to be in Belize City. I don't understand how that can happen."

Hon. Manuel Heredia Jr., Minister of Tourism
"The story that came up that some of those tour operators had bookings with Norwegian that were diverted over here, that is not true. I verified with them, they would never have anyone buy a cruise tour that is destined for Belize to divert it to Harvest Caye. That will not happen, they are genuine business people, we know them well and I am sure that I knew from the time they were talking that that cannot be so."

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