SCASPA: Tour Operators aware of relocation
By VonDez Phipps
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – As the dispute between displaced independent tour operators and Port Authority bureaucrats continues, Delcia Bradley-King, Head of Corporate Affairs and Public Relations for St. Christopher Air and Sea Port Authority (SCASPA) has said the decision to move the operators was made after discussions with the necessary stakeholders.
Just one week ago, the disgruntled tour operators staged a mobile protest through the streets of Basseterre contesting their removal from the prime location in proximity of the cruise ship arrivals hall at Port Zante.
The operators claimed they were temporarily relocated to a spot that put them away from the flow of disembarking passengers, thus drastically hampering their business.
During an exclusive dialogue with SKNVibes, King explained that prior to the move, plans were already in place to relocate the independent tour operators since 2007, but those plans did not play out as expected. She also noted that the tour operators who would have been affected by the decision were all made aware of the impending relocation.
“This decision was made by the Ministry of Tourism, Urban Development Corporation (UDC) and SCASPA in response to some comments that were made by tourists. They complained that under there [in the arrival hall] was congested and chaotic and some of the tourists reported that they used to be harassed by the operators. Customer feedback is very important and so we had to make a change because we would not want it to be a case where St. Kitts was taken off the cruise ships’ travel itinerary. ~~Adz:Right~~
“I do admit, we told them just about two weeks before the [cruise ship] season began. The reason it took that long is that we were looking for an appropriate place for them.”
King informed that an investor who owns a building on Port Zante offered the tour operators rental space in his building, but they refused the offer. She made it clear that SCASPA only owns the arrival hall and the pier on Port Zante and added that everything else belongs to the UDC. She further stated that upon request, the UDC found a place for the displaced tour operators.
“[The] UDC agreed to build booths, but they were not ready in time for the [tourism] season. So the operators were placed under a tent.
“We have written to them formally to inform them that the Port Authority does not own anything and stated that they would have to have an arrangement with UDC. All we will say is that we will no longer have them in a lease agreement.” Bradley-King explained that once the operators set up on property that fell under UDC control, they would have to enter into lease/rental agreements with that entity as Port Authority had no jurisdiction over that specific area.
UDC Manager Jason Kelsick has said that the corporation is in no way involved in the removal of the tour operators since Port Authority controls the arrivals hall.
The SCASPA PRO however noted that only the prearranged tour operators including Kantours, Flamboyant Tours and the St. Kitts Scenic Railway remain stationed under the arrivals hall as they would have already offered their tours to the visitors on the ships.
