Wiesbaden,
August 19, 2013 – Norwegian Cruise Line has announced that it has
purchased approximately 30 hectares in Southern Belize for the
planned development of an eco-friendly cruise destination. The land,
called Harvest Caye, is made up of two adjoining islands in the Stann
Creek and Toledo districts that had previously been approved for a
resort development with an air strip. Norwegian plans to invest
U.S. $50 million in the project.
“As
our fleet continues to grow to 15 ships by 2017, we expect that we
will double the number of guests sailing on our Western Caribbean
itineraries and, once this new destination is complete, bring
four times as many guests to Belize than we do today,” said Kevin
Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s President and CEO. “In our quest
to continuously look for new and exciting destinations for our
guests, we plan to develop a cruise destination focused on
sustainable design and eco-friendly principles that will retain the
natural beauty and local culture of this tropical paradise.”
Norwegian
has retained IDEA Inc. of Orlando, Florida to design the destination
and bring the project to fruition. IDEA is an industry leading
designer of branded ports of call and branded destinations for the
hospitality, entertainment and tourism industries. IDEA has worked
with private developers, government ministries, and independent
agencies to create branded destinations in Alaska; Florida; St.
Lucia; St. Maarten; Mexico; St. Kitts; Honduras; Bahamas and Jamaica.
“This
project will set a new standard in the development of an eco-friendly
destination. Rather than an imposed plan, we are focused on a design
approach that is determined by the local environment to ensure that
the unique surroundings and features of the area will be protected
and showcased for all to enjoy,” said Hugh Darley, president of
IDEA, Inc.
“At
Norwegian, we have a strong commitment to the environment through our
Eco-Smart Cruising philosophy. We will continue that commitment as we
develop the Belize project and ensure that we are socially
responsible in everything we do,” said Colin Murphy, Vice
President, Destination and Strategic Development for Norwegian Cruise
Line.
While
the master plan for the 30 hectares is still under development, the
vision is to create a world-class cruise destination, consisting of
two locations: an island destination with docking/tendering
facilities and a mainland connection point for inland tours. Major
components of the project are anticipated to include a floating pier,
island village with open-air structures on raised platforms, marina,
transportation hub for tours to the mainland, a lagoon for a variety
of water sports and a relaxing beach area. The goal is to design an
authentic experience grounded in the storyline of nature, ancient
culture, art, adventure and music that celebrates Belizean, Mayan and
Garifuna history and culture.
The
Government of Belize and Norwegian have signed a memorandum of
understanding on the development that calls for adherence to Belize’s
environmental standards, creation of jobs for Belizeans, as well as
significant economic impact, among other items.
Belize’s
Prime Minister Dean Barrow has said that Belize needs to decentralise
cruise tourism in an effort to reduce overcrowding and improve the
visitor experience. Prime Minister Barrow also expressed confidence
in Norwegian Cruise Line’s commitment to responsible development
that will have a positive economic impact whilst maintaining the
integrity of natural resources.
The
new destination is expected to benefit Belize directly with
significantly increased head tax revenues, and at a local level with
up to 1.000 new jobs. The creation of the new destination will also
help relieve cruise tourism pressures in Belize City which has been
called for in Belize’s National Sustainable Tourism Master Plan.
Norwegian
plans to employ a majority of Belizeans in the construction and
operation of the destination in Belize. The company has also created
a hiring programme specifically for Belizeans who want to work in the
immediate future on its vessels while the project is under
development. Once the destination is ready to open, those Belizeans
will have priority preference for the numerous staff positions needed
to run the day-to-day operations.
