bvc_june2017

42 43 of Belize, because cruise tourism is our number one industry.We have the barrier reef, we have the mountains, we have the Mayan ruins, we have eco-tourism, we have everything that makes Belize quite a good destination. At this point –we have close to a mil- lion passengers a year.” “Apart from partnering with the government, we also would need to have a cruise line on board with us before something like that could be built out,” Vasquez adds. “I know that Carnival, over the last five to eight years, has built out a docking facility in Roatan (Honduras). Norwegian has developed a Caye in the southern part of the country and they have built a dock there for one single ship. Royal Caribbean currently operates our Tour- ism Village so they are the operators of the local village where the passengers get off when they come to the mainland. So, we would have to have a cruise line company working along with us on this.” As Belize continues to develop the infrastructure that will help its economy grow, Vasquez believes that the Port can play a sig- nificant part in that growth– especially if it can realize its hopes of a new bulk facility for produce and a new cruise port for peo- ple. “Those are the two future plans for great improvements to the Port operation, as well as the country as a whole,” he declares. “But, of course, all of that requires financing and therefore the other part of that job would be to look for potential investors to get into these operations along with us.” Meanwhile, the Port of Belize continues to make improvements to its current operations so that the local shipping agents who are bringing cargo into Belize, and the local businesses that stock that cargo onto their shelves, can both do business profitably and efficiently. THE PORT OF BELIZE PREFERRED VENDOR n Lopez Equipment Co. Ltd. info@lopezequipment.bz Lopez Equipment provides trucking from the Port of Belize to anywhere countrywide. The company also provides crane rentals and engages in the construction of roads and bridges.