Tourism sector breaking more records
The Cayman Islands’ Owen Roberts International Airport
(CNS): The Cayman Islands’ tourism sector continues to boom as official overnight visitor figures for January 2018 break more records. Having closed 2017 with the highest visitor numbers in history, the growth continued unabated, as 2018 began with January recording a near 24% increase in stay-over tourists and a 20% hike in cruise passengers. A total of 39,185 stay-over visitors flew into Cayman last month, representing the best January in recorded arrivals history and the eighth consecutive month of record-breaking growth.
Part of the numbers bump in Cayman Islands tourism was a result of the damage caused to other Caribbean destinations by last season’s hurricanes. However, tourism officials believe the islands are attracting visitors from new markets through the diverse marketing efforts of the Department of Tourism.
Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell said the statistics were evidence that the state of the tourism industry is strong.
“I am optimistic that if we continue this path, 2018 will be another record-breaking year for arrivals and that the Cayman Islands will benefit from economic growth that all can be proud of,” he said. “I applaud the Department of Tourism and all tourism partners for their continued contributions to this vibrant industry.”
Visitors from the West Coast of the United States led the growth, with a 63% increase over January 2017. However, there was also a near 47% increase from the Southwest and over 27% increase from the Midwest over the same month last year.
“Canada also recorded 13.47% growth over January 2017. This represents the best January in recorded history for Canada, with a total of 3,353 stay-over visitors,” officials said. They noted that efforts to tap into the Latin American market were also fruitful, with South and Central America up by 25% and 35%.
The DoT is hoping the growth can be sustained as we enter the carnival season and marketing campaigns begin in the US to promote Cayman as the “culinary capital” of the Caribbean. Tourism partners in the private sector have also agreed to a fourth-night free promotion, which the DoT said it will market across the United States.
While stay-over tourism has been enjoying persistent and sustained growth, the trend in cruise tourism has also been up, despite a few minor slumps due to weather and other issues beyond the control of the marketing machine.
Overall, 2017 was one of the best for the Cayman Islands cruise tourism over the last decade, calling into question claims that this arm of our tourism product is set for massive decline because this destination does not have cruise berthing facilities.
Moreover, 2018 appears to be on track for another bumper year, with January cruise arrivals breaking records, with 218,430 passengers last month. And the February schedule indicates that even more passengers will be calling on Cayman this month, soaring past last year’s figure for February, which was also one of the best in years for cruise numbers.
There has been no news from the tourism ministry about the status of that cruise berthing project since the Finance Committee hearings in November and opposition to the costly development remains. The broader community is still concerned about environmental damage, the impact on infrastructure, the cost and risk to the public purse and what some believe is the narrow benefit to a limited number of tourism stakeholders.
Public purse will pay for cruise port, warns Miller
If we keep going after tourists with the gun and ammo laws, we will start to have problems.
Huge fines and jail terms when tourists don’t know the rules will eventually create a problem on the island.
We need to stop taking advantage of the tourists with these archaic laws.
Most of the increased traffic is due to the Eastern Island being devastated.
The Government needs to keep pushing the cruise port or we soon will see record declines.
Somebody tell me how we are the Culinary Capitol of the Caribbean when we never have a team competing in the Caribbean Cookoff challenges… Having more restaurants per capita does not make one a culinary capitol. We don’t even get mentioned in this article.. https://www.caribjournal.com/2015/07/15/the-caribbeans-culinary-capital/# This whole Culinary thing is just BS.
Do we consider it wise to spend $180m – $300m primarily on a 40 year old business model of selling expensive watches to cruise passengers?
The year is 2018 and spending habits are changing rapidly.
Younger people are eco-conscious, refusing to buy personal vehicles (Uber generation), technologically savvy (buying expensive iPhones, smart tv’s, Echoes, personal tech products e.g. Fitbits) over “douchey” jewellery, resource-conscious (concerned about blood diamonds and child-labour emeralds), etc – and bear in mind, we are only at the beginning of this revolution.
Add to that the overwhelming selection of activities and on-board “excursions” that the new mega-ships have on offer to their passengers.
This entire CBF proposal makes less economic sense with every passing day especially with reports like we see above, therefore, one has to wonder what is truly behind this pedal-to-the-metal push to bring to fruition?
Let us focus on enhancing our stay over experience instead.
For example, how about spending a chuck of that estimated expenditure on refreshing our capital – beyond the waterfront?
– Who
George Town is never going to be refreshed and there is nothing of interest there beyond the front and maybe “Heroes” Square. Doing up the waterfront is about all that it needed for tourists.
110m for a school valued at 70m… so what’s the graft on a 300m dock? 100m? Some people gonna get RICH!
All the other ports in the cruise industry are still laughing at us all the way to the bank because no matter what the total number is we still don’t get any of the best ships from royal Caribbean.
Due to hurricanes destroying several other Caribbean destinations, we are benefiting. Find it funny that a government would try to takes credit for it.
The consequences of mass tourism: the case of Barbados. http://www.travel-conference.co.uk/commentries.php?paper=171#.WomN5MpOmhA
12 destinations travelers might want to avoid in 2018. How soon the Cayman islands would join the list? https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/places-to-avoid-2018/index.html
That paper reads like it was written by a 12 year-old with access to Google. Might be harsh on intelligent 12 year-olds.
Culinary capital? Only for the palates of fly-over state visitors who want large portions of unchallenging over-sweet food.
When my food challenges me, I throw it out the window.
Too rightly said, I’ve tasted more exquisite and less expensive street food in Jamaica and Central America than so called high end restaurants dish up here. Some of these self serving kudos were obviously put out by those who have never travelled the region nor tasted real food.
In my job which is in the financial services industry I travel around the Caribbean. It has given me the opportunity to hear how business execs in other countries view progress in Cayman.
It makes me proud to be Caymanian to hear them impressed with our business prowess to have built our airport such that we own it (Instead of the Chinese like they did in the Bahamas). And more so, that we will own our new cruise piers because of an honest, savvy government process. I wish more people could see how we are admired by others.
Thank you CNS for a platform that I could share this. And thanks to our Deputy Governor for a well run civil service and to our Minister of Tourism for his commitment to progress owned by the Caymanian people.
Obviously you are unaware that the government even the cabinet do not know what the cruise ship berthing facility will cost. Does that sound like a well run multi 100 million dollar project by you?
Is that how you operate as well?
You must be talking to people who have never travelled, I have and as much as I love Cayman I will not be jingoistic and lie as it does not help the economy and gives the people who relies on tourism a false sense of security . Cayman is known due to the American movies only as an island full of rich people and money laundering nothing else. Majority of the items at the beachfront Is made from China. The craft market is not within walking distance. It is cheaper to take a family to Disneyland than to Darts land. The dolphins are not exclusive to Cayman so all that’s really left within the 7M radius is sea sand and hopefully sun. If they tune into the talk station or read the papers its all about how we dislike ex-pats and Jamaicans. Thanks CNS for a balance in view points.
Ah, the man that hates Cayman. Good, positive talk. Not.
Good post, thanks! Maybe we should all be relieved that all these major projects are becoming realities under this government. I seem to remember UDP nearly selling us out to the Chinese.
What a naive fool you are if you and many other PPM disciples could only look pass unnah parties North Korea like propaganda and rhetoric spouted by your dear leader and his comrade deputy and their brainwashed followers you would see what is really happening to this little island and just how marginalized Caymanians are in Cayman. Please tell us what we owned and control here besides debts and mortgages. How many “Caymanian” Bank presidents we have or Caymanian Grandcourt Judges we cant even sell our owned land in this place. “Our business prowess” are you for real??? We have gone so far even our rights are gone we are now having to settle for privileges. Thank You CNS for allowing me the opportunity to keep it real and dispelling this UNITY government totally bogus propaganda and Koolaid drinkers we got around her deceiving the beleaguered citizens of this British overseas territory owned and run by the UK
I agree with your sentiment entirely but IMO the cruise dock is an absurd folly that will never pay for itself let alone be a net benefit.
Kirkbots out in full force today.
Yep, they have been silent for a while. Always very obvious when they are out, the New dock gets slammed in most posts, and then they come back, many more pro port comments, obviously staged, many more votes than usual and the same inane drivel about how Cayman will benefit when only certain shops and businesses will. There is currently no reason to visit George Town other than the shops, and that says it all.
If transport was not so expensive they could travel to more places.
The BriggsBits and BoddenBots never leave this site, not to mention the armchairenvironbitties
People who do not see the benefit of a cruise port, unfortunately do not understand the importance of this facility to the industry. A lot of cruise ships leave the Cayman port without landing a single passenger when the wind is just 11 knots. If we had a cruise berthing facility, they would stay as the ship could dock. Not only will we lose less days to poor weather, the tourist will actually stay 2 hours longer on shore each visit and will spend more money, therefore being a much better benefit than the present. We will be able to make the same amount of money from 2 ships arriving in Cayman, as we are now making when 4 ships come to port.
You people need to try to understand the cruise industry and stop posting ignorant rants because you do not like this one and that one and hates others.
Cayman also need to spend $10 million on the tourism attractions and related infrastructure to update these facilities with more historic facts and signage. Cayman’s futures lies wiht tourism. We have to start by educating the local people and those who have come here to make this place our home.
Please try to educate yourselves before posting all these hate filled comments.
It sounds like you have your dock talking points in front of you. We had about 2 million cruise ship visitors last year without spending the $$$ for a berthing facility that the government has admitted they do not know how much it will cost.
Perhaps you might want to look into that talking point.
How much will this cost and get back to us, oh, and real money not Monopoly money.
Or in lay man terms, how many decades will it take to break even, who will foot the bill for repairs such as wear and tear or perhaps a hurricane etc.
How many shops will benefit, can the infrastructure cope, what will the cost be to upgrades these and who will pay for this.
17*02*2018-@5.17- I think that I just outlined how a dock will bring more money to the island from less tourism. A $250 Million loan is a small debt for a dock and the Port will earn an additional $30 Million a year. A 20 year loan can be serviced comfortably from these revenues.
How does the dock/pier generate $30m pa of additional income without additional tourists exactly? That’s before we move unto why the government should take on an additional $250m in debt (your figures) when they cannot even address their existing unfunded long term health care and pension liabilities.
Small if you are not repaying that loan and it benefits the few, not the many. Essentially, the pro-port people are just looking for a free facility to line their pockets at the expense of caymanians, and residents.
Well why don’t you start by educating us on the marginal income benefit to the island from a cruise shipper staying an extra hour on island. Now add in all the extra visitors this will supposedly bring. We’ll ignore what the hell we are going to do with them all for now but I assume public beach is going to look like Dunkirk so the product is going to slide further down hill, bringing ever cheaper cruises. Now can you explain how on earth this increase in income from current levels is ever going to come remotely close to paying for this x hundred million $ white elephant?
Educate ourselves? Don’t be so arrogant.
I’m not holding my breath for a reply!
Do you work in George Town by any chance? Do you have any idea what a blight and a traffic hazard these imbecilic tourists represent? I work on Harbour Drive and I never see them going into or out of shops. They shuffle along muttering to each other like old people: ‘well I think it’s this way…the lady on the ship told us to head left’….DURRRRR. How many Rolexes are they buying? ZERO. All they do is pay landing fees, taxi fares, and heavily marked down tour prices. What are they buying? What is stopping the cruise lobby from disclosing their fantastic but declining revenues and explaining to us why spending $300 MILLION dollars is going to somehow restore them to massive profiteering and the rewards will end up in the pockets of Caymanians? Or is it about complacent Moses who keeps a grin on his face as long as he knows the port is progressing and has about as much as Trump to say about anything else? Every month he’s telling us how delighted he is with stayover figures. Go on TripAdvisor and see how many stayover tourists can’t stand cruise tourists. When the public are opposed to something and logic points away from it, you have to follow the money. No port. We will be the tendering port of the Caribbean and the only one worth taking a tender. We’ll be unique. Please try to educate yourself.
I agree, but must you make your point in such an asinine way.
No we don’t the cruise port. The latest statistics speak the truth, only the ignorant really believe we need it. You can try to justify it all you want but, $180 million dollars for a little cruise port? It doesn’t even cost that to go into space, so I don’t know who these cruise berthing thots think they trying to fool. Take your head out of your backpocket and think about our environment.
Where are you getting your facts on the cost to go into space?
180 million dollars will provide jobs and create more steady income for taxis,busses,boats and bars and stores. Please remember the cruise ships fees pays for the docks not you or me.
But how do we pay for Clifton Hunter High School or the new High School in town? We are constantly hearing of drugs and violence by students. Who is paying for that?
Spend more money? Only good for a few shop and restaurant owners, not Cayman as a whole.
Sounds like a broken record. Not everything is about money. This island is already over saturated with visitors. Every new hotel would further lower quality of life for residents and visitors as well. One dollar invested in financial sector brings back 18 and only 2 in tourism.
Just give up, really, it is tiresome to read comments like yours.
Do you want to join the list of the most overcrowded tourist destinations? http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/most-overcrowded-tourist-destinations-amsterdam-rome-venice-warsaw-dubrovnik-a8108096.html
There certainly is a benefit, but to what cost?
‘Me 18/02/2018 at 9:32 am’ gave an example of a great study into the effect over development can cause on a tourist destination. Which is worth everybody’s time to read. Perfect example as to why mass tourism is not what the Cayman Islands should be after.
It’s well known for our islands, that the majority of revenue from tourist spending comes from stay over visitors. in the region of 80% of the revenue from 20% of the total visitors to the island. Surely the debt, irreversible damage to the environment (including world famous dive sites) could at the very least be put on hold until the effects of the airport expansion has on Cayman’s tourism product are seen. It’s an expensive investment with a lot risk for a relatively small revenue increase the islands as a whole in my oppinion.
In short is the benefit worth the drawbacks? objectively speaking I don’t see it being so. There may be some hate filled comments but it comes from the passion of people who want to protect their home and its precious limited natural resources.
You are talking nonsense
These numbers are going to gradually decline as tourists realize we are a destination with nothing cultural or historical to offer (Hell??!), crowded beaches, saturated traffic on the roads, ridiculously high prices (CI$12 for a tiny two swallow glass of wine at Lighthouse in Breakers?) and rising crime. When Cuba finally gets going….Trump and his idiocy won’t last forever…they will siphon off masses of our tourists with genuine culture and heritage and historical artifacts and buildings, terrific beaches, Cubans ( not expats standing in for lazy assed locals) serving them and reasonable accommodation costs and maybe a taxi service that doesn’t rip them off from the moment they arrive.
Cuba is one of the shitholes and will remain so. Stop worrying about it. If something magical were to happen there, it will still be decades if not generations before it becomes a non-shithole.
You are very much mistaken my friend cuba to cayman is like the story of the rabbit and the hare.
Yes, and their stomach-churning food, floorless taxis, non-existent internet…like how you spun ‘dilapidated crumbling communist rubble’ into “historical buildings and artifacts” too…You should have a look at what hotel rooms are going for on Grand Cayman right now and observe that the hotels are full too. We don’t need to change anything.
Cuba- one of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean as well BUT as I can tell you don’t understand not only the type of visitors We get I won’t get into it with you. Cuba and Cayman whilst on the surface beautiful there is too much about our infrastructure that will take Cuba many years to catch on with, security of our islands, and if you understood the tourists that come here they know we don’t have as picturesque an island as other places but they come to experience a bit of luxury and know the island can deliver a unique experience and with that it comes at a premium. The caliber of persons that frequent our shores more than once is very different from the Cabo, Jamaica and even Bahamas. Ask anyone in the dept of tourism and they will tell you the same. You should educate yourself a bit more before you start bashing our product. Sad if you’re a caymanian or someone with status or someone with PR that you would negatively speak about your home this way. My home!
There are faults in your arguement, the reason why Cuba’s tourism is not even higher year after year is due to the embargo, in fact tourists came to Cayman to hop over to Cuba especially as they do not stamp your passport.
Visitors, to Cuba do not want another version of Cayman.
As for cruises, they do not specifically come to Cayman its part of a package deal which also includes which like it or not has a lot of tourist attraction also more returnies
Typo, …..which like it or not includes Jamaica….
Everyone wants to be in the land of milk and honey. And that’s Caymanain milk and honey.
Oh give us a break Moses you and joey need to stop running around JA cutting deals to undermine Cayman Tourism industry! Unnah tink people nah no wha unnah ago on wid
Further evidence that the cruise berthing piers are not necessary nor should be a priority for this government. Wake up Cayman
Self praise is no recommendation but yet still doesn’t stop those incharge of tourism from petting their little ego’s Atlantic hurricane season 2017 can take the blame for those figures too Poor you???
You sound petty. Our staff has benefited from the boom in tourism. And frankly, without the business leadership of our Ministers like Mr. Kirkconnell we would not be in a position to capitalize on the opportunity. Our staff has been able to nearly double their income with good tips and nearly full occupancy.
Lucky for them that they get tips considering the wages and poor treatment by the employers, double wages what they get four dollars an hour now after deductions.
I would have gone in December and again in April, but prices are double and triple what I would normally would have paid. No thank you- can’t justify the increase because other islands had hurricane damage and GC wanted to raise prices while you could get rich off tourists who didn’t have a lot of travel choices at the moment. Will wait till prices fall back or pick another island.
Tell me when staying at Holiday Inn with air from northeast US would cost $2,400. or Comfort Suites/ Sunshine would cost $3,500. & the Marriott be $6,000+ for six days? Kimpton running close to the cost of a small new car. LOL ( school vacation week always expensive, but those prices are highway robbery). Don’t forget to add resort fees & taxes where applicable.
That’s okay there are plenty of people with more money. Perhaps you might try Jamaica?
Be ashamed that even with jamaica being a S H it has had an in crease in cruises and more stay over tourist than Cayman. It also has more sites to see and is better known than Cayman be glad that Jamaica has its problems, or we would have a serious problem of in breeding and no one to blame for our inadequacies.
Actually Jamaica is a great tourist destination- wonderful beaches, food and music/ nightlife scene is amazing especially in Negril. Also, zip- lining, river rafting, boat cruises, waterfalls, RIcks, and so much more.
I guess you are hoping the hoteliers and merchants will read your troll comments and lower their prices. Good luck, I hear Nicaragua is nice.
No- just stating facts. I already booked my vacation plans for this year. There’s beach and sun in other places than Grand Cayman and it doesn’t break the bank.
Right and when you aren’t on your econo vacation you are trolling Cayman News looking for reasons to whine about prices that you’ve decided not to pay. Sure.
My holiday is in April- read the post.
Btw- I wasn’t the only one who thinks prices are high.
I love the idea of the promoting us as the culinary capital of the Caribbean. ya mon
Hilarious. We definitely are NOT the culinary capital of the Caribbean by any stretch of the imagination. Anyone who truly has travelled the Caribbean will know this.
I’ve been all over. The Caribbean is not a food Mecca by any stretch. GC compares perfectly well against limited competition.
It’s very good for the Caribbean but it’s also very strange; you’ve got world class food at places like Blue Cilantro, Brasserie, Taikun and Agua in settings ranging from the utterly forgetable to Cheesecake Factory. Then you’ve got garbage food in fabulous locations… Grand Old House, Rackams, Casanova, The Wharf? IMO the best you have for memorable Caribbean dining that I want to have on vacation is Kaibo upstairs or Calypso, there are a few other decent places like Blue but I could be anywhere. What ever happened to the Sushi place at the Hyatt? That was awesome.
It’s hard to keep talented real Japananse chefs here. There was a potentially game changing Japanese restaurant to start years ago but a greedy politician wanted a 10% cut for allowing it in his district. This is probably why we have so many mediocre restaurants with stratospheric prices.
I don’t want the port but we do have a ridiculous amount of good quality restaurants per capita than anywhere else in the region. We are spoilt for choice.
Invest the money in what’s left of seven mile or is it four miles since Dart owners the rest.
I’m starting to notice more young Caymanians in the tourism industry, several of them have spoken of the hospitality school and the support it gets from the Department of tourism and the tourism industry. I have to commend Min. Kirkconnell and his CO, Mr. Stran Bodden for making this a reality.
I hope more of our young people will take Advantage of our tourism opportunities.
Of course the Minister of Tourism is eager to ascribe any anomalous statistical blip to his bumbling unqualified staff. Meanwhile they haven’t updated parts of the website since 2014. We could be doing a lot better if we had professionals running the show.
Duh The kimpton just opened it better had gone up, thank Dart not CIG but then again how much does this benefit the local economy ?
Why do you think Dart and all of our other CITA members are willing to make major investments in Cayman? It’s because we all value the stable CIG and share their optimism. It’s not a coincidence that Tourism and Development are booming in Cayman. We value the leadership and focus Minister Kirkconnell and Minister Hew have on making things happen.
Booming for who ? their rich developer friends perhaps ?
Please please please can the tourist industry, supermarkets etc ban the use and sale of one use plastic products. No plastic straws. plastic disposable cups, styrofoam products. We all need to do our part and refuse these items. The landfill has more than enough and will take generations to be cleaned up. What are our mla’s going to do?
Ignore it for another 30 years and hope dart cleans it up nice?
Didn’t he make his fortune on those same plastic and polystyrene products. Are the ones he makes now all fully biodegradable?
No. They are certainly NOT biodegradable! They are everywhere…….. killing wildlife and making our beaches look like strung-out dumps!
Cautious Optimism I believe is the state our government should remain in
but they are going to use these numbers to convince their mindless sheeple voters to back them and their ridiculous cruise berthing project
One hurricane and all this “tourism growth” will be out of the window and on to the next set of tropical islands
We forgetting Ivan, already although not entirely surprising given Caymanian long term memory loss syndrome and what in my mind seems to be record setting political apathy
Let the PPM government sink or swim with this dock I say,
and I raise a glass to their potential ouster from the government benches, for good
or the potential success of the project,
the best part is either way the people of the Cayman Islands win
Diogenes
Yet you could still find hotel room rate deals on the online booking sites last month? There’s something not adding up here.
what do you think will happen to tourism, when the Canadiens and Americans find out that the Cayman authorities are deliberately covering up the attempted murder of two of their citizens?
Please explain
The criminal works in the Department of XXXX, and her crimes are well known to her Department, most senior civil servants, the RCIPS, the DPP, the court system, and most media houses. She tried to murder her exhusband and child, and the authorities have covered it up, because she also happens to be XXXXX.
Tourism numbers on arrivals also illustrating the shortcomings of the airport to handle the numbers currently .While the new expansion is not completed & taking that into consideration , interesting days are ahead for the C.I.A.A.
Let’s not be fooled by the overall numbers!
What is the overall hotel occupancy? With the addition of the Kimpton of course the total numbers will rise. But the health of the industry is by the occupancy levels.
What about our restaurants? Are they benefiting from the increase in numbers?
What about our duty free stores, tour companies, taxis, rental cars, etc.?
That will be the determining factor if the overall economy is benefitting.
If you opened your eyes and looked, you can see the story is right in pretty much every hotel and restaurant. Last year we may have had the Kimpton, but Beach Suites shit, and the hotel near the Petroleum storage. I apologise in advance if you are indeed blind…
12:29 Back those comments up with facts. One fact I can give you is that last month the online booking sites were offering room rate deals on GC – that’s not a sign of a booming tourism industry.
You don’t seem to understand that there are always deals on those sites. That is what they do everyday.
I tried getting a reservation last week, and nearly every hotel is full, and the restaurants are full too!
The statistics are proof we don’t need any stinking cruise port. Greedy much?
Agreed!!!
Your opinion was exactly what I intended to write. NO to the cruise ship berthing facility.
we badly need the cruise ship dock dum, dum.
And we need it ASAP.
We are fortunate that cruise traffic is up due to the devastation of other ports, but that won’t last forever. We need to have our port built to compete with what will be brand new facilities and tourism options in those other islands! Why is it taking so long??? We need it.
Exactly dude. We need to start our port now!!
Quite. One family staying at the Ritz or Kimpton or Four Seasons are going to spend more money on island than 200+ cruise shippers waddling into Margaritaville.