There was a collective groan across Belize on October 26th when it was announced that premium gas would break the $12 mark. And with regular right behind it at $11.82, it's like drivers just can't catch a break. And that's why the tour operators out at the Tourism Village have started to fight back with a peaceful protest. It's simple but with a clear message these gas prices are killing them. And now they're hoping that the government will hear their cries and come through with their promise to lower fuel prices. Courtney Menzies went out to the village this morning and has this story.

Gas is a killa - that's what is written on the vehicles of the tour operators that were parked outside of tourist village this morning. It's their own form of protest against the ever-increasing fuel prices. And one well-known operator says that because they're always on the road doing tours, well, they're feeling the gas pain.

John "Big John" Pollard - Tour Operator
"For the past 11 months we have been looking at gas keep rising, rising, rising. The industry that we are in which is tourism, we are losing. Simply because each day you come out here to work as a tour operator, it costs you in gasoline, in fuel. As for me, I have four vehicles, I have to have $250+ a day for my operations just to begin. The tours is at one cost because you know there are competitors in this industry so as a tour operator people on the website put up their prices, when the tourist comes along I cannot say to them that gas went up last night so I have to take up my price."

And now they're practically begging the government for even a slight reprieve from the painful increases that make it harder to put food on their table. And of course, we queried the issue with the PM only two weeks ago. Here's what he said:

Hon. John Briceno - Prime Minister
"Two things that I want to point out, one is that the price of oil continues to go up, a few weeks ago it was at $15 and now it is at $90, last week it was at $90 and we have no control over that and we import fuel so it is a, the taxes that we have for fuel also plays an important role in the revenues of the government and we are not at the growth rate that we want and the economy has not recovered at the point we want, so we cannot afford to be able to cut the tax on fuel."

John "Big John" Pollard
"Check this out: bull*obscenity*. That is hogwash, that is bull*obscenity*. Gas went up on the world market about two weeks, three weeks, to a month now. Gas is Belize has been going up for the past 11 months. Now, all the taxes is what the government is absorbing, they're living good off these taxes. Off my money, your money, everybody who drive, who ride motorcycle, that's where the tax is killing us."

Courtney Menzies
"Right now premium is at $12 and regular almost reach $12 when was the last time you saw gas prices at this number."

John "Big John" Pollard
"Huh. Good couple years ago, under the past administration. But the prime minister had said before that gas would have never reached this cost. He said that. So why the promises that you had made that people vote for, that people look out for, you all deceive the people and you are killing the whole country because of the taxes you're getting from gas. It's a killa."

And while there were only a few cars still out at around 9am, the others, who had to leave for tours, are still standing solidarity and will continue peacefully protesting for now. But Big John says it might get more drastic - and he's calling on every other taxi, bus, and private driver to band together.

John "Big John" Pollard
"We will keep the signs up on our vehicle. We are not demonstrating today. We will not demonstrate today. We are hoping that the prime minister will see and try and understand what we are saying. But if need be, and we need to demonstrate, then we need to. We have been sitting down too long. We have been sitting down too long not worrying about gas or anything. Belizean people are too quiet. They are too quiet. So advantage always gets taken care of us because of our quietness."

And he added that while the government says tourism is booming, the operators aren't really feeling it with only one cruise ship coming in per week - making the high fuel prices harder to stomach.

And it seems their pleas were heard in today's Cabinet brief, it said quote, "Cabinet expressed concern about the rising cost of fuel and, in that regard, agreed to a team to look at possible mitigation measures." End quote. We'll note that Cabinet taking the position as "just another observer" to the soaring prices is cute - but also a dodge - since that same Cabinet sets the tax policies which drives the prices to where they currently stand.

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Tour Guides Ask for Relief From High Gas Prices

The steadily rising cost of fuel has remained a bread and butter issue for many people whose livelihoods depend on that commodity. Aside from the booked tours, today only eight certified tour operators and tour guides work outside the gates at the Belize Tourism Village. But before they even attempted to seek out clients today, they felt it necessary to share their frustration with the public. It wasn't a protest with placards, but a message for all to read as they wrote on their windshields and car windows. Marion Ali was at the Tourism Village to find out how the tour guides plan to deal with their problem.

Marion Ali, Reporting

Today tour operators and tour guides decided to write down their concern, something they feel has been spiraling out of control for too long - high fuel prices. They penned their protest not on paper, but on the windshields of their vehicles for all to see. For them, tourism has still not rebounded to pre-COVID era and whatever business they are able to conduct now is barely enough to cover bills. They want the Government to lower the taxes it collects on fuel so that their livelihood can be viable.

John Pollard, Big John Tours

"Our gas prices have been going up for the past eleven months."

Marion Ali

"So why do you bring this up now?"

John Pollard

"We bring this up now because it is going to a rocket high - twelve dollars and eleven cents. It is slow already here in tourism for us doing tours. For the government it is not slow. When those ships dock in the harbour, the government collects head tax if the people come off or if they do not come off."

John Pollard, who has been a tour operator for over a decade, says that while fuel prices have been on the increase for almost a year now, it has come to a point now where it is simply not making his business a profitable one, and raising the price of their tours is not an option.

John Pollard

"Our tour is being sold at one consecutive price. When the tourist comes along, I can't tell dehn because gas price gone up I have to ker up my cost, simply because on the websites it's competition, so everybody has to have a set price in doing tours."

Dennis Tillett, Tour Guide

"Chukka are the ones moving. They are the ones that have booked tours off these cruise ships, so if the ships are working at sixty percent and Chukka is getting forty percent, the twenty percent that we are expecting from out here is just to eat and to ker home a little revenue, a little income to our home - it's not helping us and working out for us."

Pollard said they are taking action incrementally to get the Government's attention.

John Pollard

"If this continues with the prices, then yes, yes there will be a protest, when, I'm not going to say; I cannot say to you."

But that protest may not be necessary after all because when we reached out to Prime Minister John Briceño following the interviews at the tourism village, he told us via WhatApp that quote: "I brought it up in Cabinet and asked Ministry of Finance to take a look at it and see what adjustments we can make," unquote. The PM has not indicated how soon that adjustment in taxes from fuel will take effect. Marion Ali For News Five.

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