And in other news, Yhony Rosado and David Almendarez are no strangers to the media. Under the FECTAB banner, they've highlighted countless issues within the tourism industry - which, though it is Belize's greatest income earner, seems to regularly box out the "small man."
Today the two tour operators were back again with a press conference that was prompted by the announcement that fees for archeological sites in Belize would increase in November 2024. The Minister of Culture told us last week that some sites - like the ATM cave - will even see a 100% increase.
But Rosado and Almendarez say even without the increase, they're already struggling to keep their heads above water. That's because they say it's tough to pick up tourists when cruise ships only come in a couple times a week, and on top of that, they claim another tour company is getting special treatment by not having to pay additional fees.
Here's what they explained to us this afternoon.
Yhony Rosado
"If it's up to me, they could take up the fee as far as $100. It is not practical for you to have a business and increase by 100%. Where are the police at the other cave, at Tiger Cave or Dark Night Cave? We have nothing against Mr Paumen, Mr. Paumen is a business man just like everybody else. But because he's white or because he has money than us he is supposed to run over us? that is the question. It's because NICH is not collecting fees from him."
"When he's carrying the majority of the guests, he's selling at a very, very low price. NICH is not seeing the profit. NICH is not seeing the money as saw in previous times. The pandemic is one. The numbers have dropped down drastically."
"And now we have a new competition, which is Dark Night. So definitely they're not seeing the profit that they were seeing before. Right now we have a competition with the guy at a very low price, with no entrance fee at Dark Night."
And then you come... and it's only half mile apart, you know, when you're turning to cave at the junction. You just go this way, three miles, and you go this way, one mile, and you reach at Dark Night."
"So it's the same cave system, same archaeological cave. But again, I don't know how these guys do it, how not to pay entrance fee."
Reporter
"Is it that you think that if they collected from Dark Night, they would have enough, or do you think an increase would still be necessary?"
David Almendarez
"I'm telling you right now, if you go right out that tourist village right now on a regular cruise ship date, you can see how much bus loads of people, that particular company, they carry. Compared to the others, they carry."
"So that is revenue being lost. We are in a business that is beautiful and we supposed to make money. And when you have one of the biggest local operators tell you he will drop his price to meet Mr. Paumen price and then he pays 100% increase on park fee. I mean it doesn't take a genius to tell you what will be the outcome of that And a lot of people in Belize that does not own their own business and have not been entrepreneurs depend on the shelter of their bosses to pay their salary and I challenge you all who have a salary for tell me you all are going to the shops and take a lick, you can't even buy ham can't even buy turkey. We give a white man company, a cave right next to it and tell him bleed Chukka, because nobody else can use that cave."
"I can't go and take a tour and say I am going to his cave and don't pay any taxes and use that cave. So every operator who are using Jaguar Paw rightfully should be here and up in arms, but they won't, because they are some set of cowards, they are some set of sit down and wait for Yhony and David chop his neck and I chopped my neck every time because I don't do it for them, I do it for the cause and we've been right and all the time we've been right."
We reached out to Bradley Paumen, the owner of Dark Night, who clarified these claims. He explained to us via telephone that they do pay the very same $10 entrance fee, and that they are required to submit every ship arrival and receipt, just like the other tour operators. He added that they do shut down when the Sibun River is too high due to the weather, and they even offer the other operators the opportunity to use their site if the Caves Branch River is closed for tours.
Paumen also said that he felt the same pinch in his pocket in November, since he described it as a financially tough month. He told us that he even believes that his prices are actually higher than that of the other operators who use Nohoch Che'en.
And for Rosado and Almendarez, they say that if the government doesn't sit down with them to work out their concerns, they will return with a press conference every month, and they say next time, it won't be just them but other smaller operators as well.
We note an increase in fees was proposed from 2010 - but, again, due to pushback, it was not implemented.
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