Is Carnival Cruise Line cancelling calls on Belize during the upcoming high season? That’s a question that was posed to Prime Minister Dean Barrow over the weekend, upon his return from a working visit to Miami on Sunday. While PM Barrow admits to having no knowledge of the pending withdrawals, Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action, COLA, issued a release earlier today in which it claims that the American-owned cruise line will be calling off as many as fourteen scheduled visits to Belize in the months ahead. According to President Geovannie Brackett, the organization has it on good ground that the cancellations are the result of Carnival’s dissatisfaction with its experience in Belize. This, says Brackett, was disclosed in an email correspondence between Carnival representatives and the Belize Tourism Board. In that communication the company also purportedly complains about the tendering process, as well as other issues with the Fort Street Tourism Village which is owned in part by its competitor Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. The loss in revenue, as stated by COLA, is an estimated two and half million Belize dollars which underscores the need for a cruise port in Belize City. Here’s what P.M. Barrow had to say.
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“I haven’t seen any such letter.”
Geovannie Brackett
“If that is confirmed, what is the latest update in terms of that conversation? Are you still committed to building or establishing a port?”
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“I haven’t had any conversation with Carnival during which Carnival has said that it requires the building of a port. I spoke to you all on the occasion of my having met with Carnival and told you that Carnival said it would be nice if there were to be a port but that for them that’s not a be all or end all, that they intend to continue coming to Belize in any case. So if that has changed I would first want to see the letter in which they indicate such a change before I would comment further.”
News Five has attempted to get a comment from B.T.B. and despite repeated calls to Director of Cruise and Regional Operations, Valdemar Andrade, all efforts so far have been futile.
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