MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands: “Three strikes and out of the game”, for tourist operators who don't comply with guidelines

Strict and clear guidelines for operators and tourists visiting the Gypsy Cove and Yorke Bay penguin colonies on cruise ship days.

The cruise ship season is approaching, and the Falkland Islands Government Environment Department and the Falkland Islands Tourist Board (FITB) have been working together to create and implement a set of strict and clear guidelines for operators and tourists visiting the Gypsy Cove and Yorke Bay penguin colonies on cruise ship days.

No one wants a repeat of last year experience when penguins faced disturbance from crowds of unaccompanied cruise ship tourists in the Yorke Bay area. Thus the Falkland Islands Government and Tourist Board have listed eight guidelines, which will form part of FITB’s license to operate and have been created to minimize disturbance to wildlife. And like in baseball operators who do not comply will be subject to a baseball “three strikes and out”

In effect FITB Financial Controller Karen Lee said operators would be allowed “three strikes”. Tours would be run from the Jetty Centre and formal complaints could be made there, “if you have a formal complaint then people will be given a strike against them. As they get three strikes they will be removed. So that is quite a good policing system.”

Karen said if one person is complying by the rules and another isn’t, “you’re not just going to go oh well that doesn’t matter because it costs you money to comply. So in the license to operate we have included paragraphs about working together and working corroboratively. And I genuinely think people will try their hardest to police each other but hopefully in a more friendly way and help people out.”

It was acknowledged that providing a guide for every 16 tourists would be more expensive for some operators however tourists had been “given notice” – they had been informed some time ago said Karen Lee.

“They [operators] have been given lots of time to increase the price,” saying that they could consider giving a more “bespoke” tour.

Environmental Officer and Policy Advisor Emma Harte speaking to Falklands' weekly Penguin News added that she believed operators also had an “awareness of the wildlife” and wanted “to do the right thing”.

They want to be making sure that an asset really is staying there for the years to come, so that they can continue operating their business. So I think a lot of it will just be people wanting to do the right thing, and these guidelines just sort of set out how you can do that.”