Belize has lost millions of potential revenue mainly due to bad weather and cruise ship being forced to cancel the port of call.
Belize is located in central America and is a popular destination for cruise ships but the problem is the port doesn’t have a dock so ships have to get passengers on land using tender boats. The vessel anchor far from land and it can take at least 20 mins journey to arrive at the shore.
Due to high winds of up to 50 knots several cruise ships including Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean cancelled calls at Belize on November 27th and as a result the port lost millions. It’s too risky tendering passengers in when its high winds especially when so far away from the shore.
On local Belize site, Breaking Belize News the Belize Tourism Board mentions:
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The Board says it is monitoring the situation and intends to check in with the cruise lines to formulate a plan for how to deal with this state of affairs,  as Belize can expect many more waves of cool weather, which is precisely the kind of weather tourists from colder climes are trying to get away from.
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According to local reports the cruise ships were not able to sail through the English Caye channel because of the bad wheather and choppy seas. More ships have also apparently cancelled calls on 28th November which has increased questions on weather Belize needs an actual dock.
A cruise dock would benefit passengers as they will be able to walk on land but would not secure the jobs of local workers who run the fast speed tender boats. The cruise lines would no doubt have to invest in a future dock.
Photo By:Â Sean and Lauren
