BTIA is considering joining forces with OCEANA, BELPO, APAMO, COLA and other environmental organizations to say an emphatic "NO" to oil drilling and exploration off Belize's coast. The groups met at the Radisson Fort George Hotel today to explore the possibility of establishing a task force that would draft a plan of action to address what has become one of the most sensitive national issues. The head of the Belize Tourism Industry Association, Deon Miranda says while her organization has not yet officially come out against the issue, its members are being asked to contribute to the national dialogue.
Dionne Miranda, President BTIA
"BTIA has to take an official stand, I am not sure what direction it will go. We are a lobbying association for all of our members, and we will have to poll each one of our destination, and we are hoping that before Ocean Day on June 8th, when the coalition actually state/declares their position that we will have our position clear as well at that point, so we are agitating for all of our members in tourism to go into their local chapters and make sure that we have a position from each area so that we can put forward a position on this."
Jim McFadzean
"Should offshore drilling become a reality and Belize's Barrier Reef or its waters should have to suffer the kind of damage right now that the gulf of Mexico is experiencing, this could mean the end of Tourism as we know it in Belize, am I right?"
Dionne Miranda
"Definitely, and that's why it is not only for tourism stakeholders to be interested , it's actually for government, tourism stakeholders and everybody who lives in Belize, right at this point this is our only hope for recovery in terms of this recession is tourism. And if we don't look at that from a long term perspective we could be in for very very difficult times ahead in the future."
Geovannie Brackett, Vice President - COLA
"This is not about a particular organization, it's a national issue, it's a national interest. It's important to reach out to all stakeholders, bring them on board and have them be a part of the revolutionary move. I would like to say and I believe that this is something that will transcend throughout our sectors of our community of our nation and will impact not only just the policy, maybe will impact the whole mindset, and calling on our people to take a hold of information take a hold of your resources, take a hold of what belongs to you. Belize does not belong to a particular politician or party, it belongs to us. And if we see, just look at the gulf, they cannot right now they cannot control the amount of oil that is spewing in the gulf if you look at Nigeria in the Delta and look at how many tons of oil is gushed in there, you look at the disaster in Ecuador, in Canada right now, and I am telling you, it's a global problem. And you look at those global implications and you look at the country of Belize that has the largest barrier reef in the World and you ask yourself the question: Do you wanna take that risk, and then I believe the answer is no. And so together we will form this coalition and together we will fight and together we will win."
Brackett says an alliance with BTIA which has muscle in numbers and is a major stakeholder in the preservation of the Great Barrier Reef and Belize's overall environment will bring even more attention and urgency to this national issue...
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