Falmouth gets tour guide trainees amid complaints of visitor harassment

 

 

The Falmouth Redevelopment Committee on Tuesday presented its Tour Guide Trainees in response to visitor harassment in the resort town.

 

Ten persons who were once called "hustlers" were awarded certificates after completing two weeks of training.

 

At least three cruise ships have pulled out of the Port of Falmouth for the upcoming Winter Tourist Season. Visitor harassment has been cited as the reason.

 

Dr. Horace Chang, Chairman of the Falmouth Redevelopment Committee and Minister without portfolio for Economic, Growth, and Job Creation, said this is an issue that needs to be addressed, but in a non-traditional way.

 

"There's always the traditional reaction (that) if you have vendors on the street move them... and I gather that could not be the answer, in fact," he asserted. 

 

Dr. Chang said the start-up payment for the trainees will be taken from the Tourism Enhancement Fund.

 

"All of this will be structured through (a system) that will be managed, so one of the team members will be like a head guide and they will collect whatever fees are paid... So in order to keep them going we have to pay them a minimum out of the funds collected for guides... and we expect after they settle in for a year or two, it will divest," Dr. Chang explained. 

 

In the meantime, plans are advanced for the expansion of the Falmouth Port. Dr. Chang said a contract was signed on Monday for further dredging of the area.