7 News Belize

BTB Says There Is A Plan To Benefit Everyone
posted (February 23, 2017)
Now the BTB says they aren't trying to swindle or disadvantage the tour operators at all. The Director of Cruise and Destination Planning Noriko Gamero told us that the main idea behind the proposal is to renovate the existing loading space which will enhance the visitor experience.

Noriko Gamero - Director of Cruise and Destination Planning
"First of all, we are working collectively with the Belize City Council and the CARILED in trying to come up with a plan to improve the guest experience outside of the Fort George Tourism Zone. So, there are several components that we look at as a committee and restructuring of where the tour operators will be operating their sales, picking up of guest and of course the constant concerns of the flow of traffic, the congestion that happens. These are all different things that we have looked at and it's not a very easy project to take on. So what we have done is we have undergone a series of consultations with the stakeholders that would be impacted by any change. What they have suggested with the Memorial Park, it is an area where we are trying to look to do a rerouting of a loading space for operators, where each operator will have an assigned spot and they can then rotate their own guides from picking up at that space. So we won't have that parking fight and we won't have that flow of traffic constantly up and down in the zone."

Courtney Weatherburne, 7News
"I know you said you can't give too much details to how the plan will work, but just for a basic idea for how the tour operators will get their business if they are over at the Memorial Park. How will that transition?"

Noriko Gamero - Director of Cruise and Destination Planning
"The sales component is still outside of the terminals where they are currently are. So that wouldn't change. It's just the loading of where the passengers will be getting unto to the vehicles to exit the area. That's just basically, we are now moving that traffic of guest to a centralized area, so that the vendors, we can start having entertainment in that area, start looking at creating revenue streams for the local operators outside. So that's the general idea."

Courtney Weatherburne, 7News
"I think the tour operators, their main concern is that they are already struggling with how they are set up out there, outside the Fort George Tourism Zone and they are saying that it's going to be even worse now moving them to Memorial Park, its less money for them, that's what they believe, they think about this proposal."

Noriko Gamero - Director of Cruise and Destination Planning
"I've met with many of them. In the meetings they were supportive, so if there was a change in sentiment, I think then we would need to address it again with them."

There will be a number of consultations on this proposal.

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