Belize Tourism Stakeholders Prepare for Norwegian Cruise Line Port Development Jul 23rd 2013, 17:00
Tourism stakeholders in Belize are preparing for another proposed port development off Belize’s Placencia peninsula, according to local press reports. Belize’s Channel 7 News website reported late Monday that Norwegian Cruise Line has reached a memorandum of understanding with Belize’s government to explore the construction of a cruise port on Harvest Caye, a small island off Placencia.
The site reports that under the agreement, Norwegian will invest $50 million in the port and employ no more than 25 percent foreign staff. In exchange, Belize’s government will provide “the usual giveaways” including a 25-year concession to operate the port, duty exemptions and duty-free status and business tax exemptions. The cruise company will also charge a $7 passenger head tax at the port, retaining $4 of each fee, according to the article.
Portions of the tax due to the Belize Tourist Board and government would go to a tourism enhancement fund, as well as to an environmental monitoring initiative. Hotels and overnight tourism stakeholders on Placencia, a small village quickly growing into a sought-after vacation destination among dive enthusiasts, are expected to oppose the cruise port plan, according to the Channel 7 report.
In June, the government rejected a proposed Norwegian Cruise Line port development at Crawl Caye, another small island near Placencia, citing environmental concerns. However the government permitted Norwegian Cruise Line to search for an alternative site in Belize’s southern waters “to stimulate employment and open up economic benefits for Belizeans in the south,” according to a statement from the Belize Press Office. Belize Tourist Board and Norwegian Cruise Line officials did not respond to requests for comment regarding Monday’s report.
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