Another historic high for March air arrivals
(CNS): It appears that the sky is not the limit when it comes to overnight visitor numbers to the Cayman Islands after the most successful first quarter in the islands’ history for tourism and the highest number of visitors on record in one month. Between 1 January and 31 March a whopping 134,170 visitors – a more than 20% increase – landed in Cayman. But March was a staggering success with almost 55,000 visitors, a near 25% growth on March 2017, which was itself a record-breaking month. It is also the first time that the number of guests staying in Cayman in a single month exceeded 50,000.
The continued success and development of the stay-over market cannot be understated. So far this year every month has been a record breaker and March was the tenth successive month where air arrivals into the Cayman Islands have surpassed previously recorded statistics.
The level of success the Department of Tourism is having with overnight visitors is now making many more people question the controversial cruise berthing project as the figures show that the country’s economy can generate far greater and more equitable returns from the overnight business than cruise tourism. It also has a much lower impact on infrastructure and natural attractions and the advantage of fewer people spending more money.
This latest news from the tourism sector comes in the wake of revelations that last year under 420,000 overnight guests spent almost a half billion dollars in Cayman compared to just $154 million by 1.7 million cruisers.
The increase in guest numbers is largely down to solid growth in key markets such as the Northeast region of the US, with almost 32% growth. Arrivals from Latin America grew by over 35%.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism Moses Kirkconnell said the numbers were clear evidence of the demand for the Cayman Islands’ tourism product. “This performance would not be possible without the partnership of local stakeholders who exemplify our CaymanKind spirit, and the strategic leadership of the Department of Tourism, who continue to find innovative ways of marketing our brand and expanding our key markets.”
Tourism Director Rosa Harris, who is one of the reasons for the successful marketing campaigns, said there were summer promotions coming up that would help sustain the growth and JetBlue’s new direct service from Ft Lauderdale should also boost airlift.
The increase is also due to the growth in Cayman of people offering affordable accommodation on Airbnb as well as the upgrades of existing high-end hotels and the opening of the Kimpton.
In the continued absence of berthing facilities the cruise industry continued to hold its own, with the strain evident on local infrastructure illustrating all too well the concerns of some tourism stakeholders that Grand Cayman may already have reached its limit on the cruise numbers that it can handle. March saw an increase of 16.54 percent in cruise arrivals, with 232,902 passengers the highest number so far this year. During the first quarter of this year almost 672,000 cruisers had already arrived in George Town Harbour.
Category: Local News
We are just trying to get the right facts so we can ensure Cayman is sustainable. its not about critizing but to ensure that the facts are correct. Just recently the E U is clamping down on fake news. So we as a Caymanian need to ensure that these facts are correct. because the high arrival in tourist is not matching the hotels figure. So we wonder where these people are staying.
Condos? Private houses? There have never been all that many hotels.
Im just wondering for those passengers who is in transit to Cuba from USA and other countries do we count them twice in the figure? Because they are not visiting they are in transition.
Why come through Cayman to get to Cuba when you can fly direct from the US? If you do it’s because you want to stay in Cayman and take a side trip to Cuba. Anyway, those numbers are very small. The US airlines are already cutting back Cuban flights due to low demand.
Like what was said before, which no one has been capable of answering yet, what benefit has the average Caymanian obtained from all this increase of tourists.
3/4’s or more of the monies obtained from this increase in air arrivals which ends back up overseas means what benefit to the average Caymanian?
Nobody can answer this.
On another note. Can anyone say what the breakdown on the air arrivals are for:
1) Current work permit holders traveling
2) Caymanians traveling
3) Persons coming here as “tourists” looking for work
4) Persons coming here for bussiness, such as lawyers.
5) Persons in transit
6) Persons who reside here part time
7) Actual bonifide tourists staying at a hotel for Vacation
8) Medical tourists (Shetty Hospital)
It would be interesting to see these numbers and how much are actual bonafide tourists on vacation.
I would not be surprised to see these numbers with monetary value attached quickly dwindle.
Regardless of the categories you present, they are ALL stay over guests and spend more than day cruisers do.
Two things.
1) You completely missed the first question. How does the average Caymanian benefit from the increase in air arrivals and all this hoopla over stay over tourists.
2) Its not about whether or nor they are stay over tourists or cruise ship tourists. The same question remains. And yes it does matter if they are catagorized diferently. Different catagories have different origins of funds. Duhhhhhh.
But still the main question remains unanswerable…….
HOW DOES THE AVERAGE CAYMANIAN BENEFIT?
Well, you collect departure tax on every one of them and room tax on most of them. They eat at your many locally owned restaurants. They get around in your locally owned taxis. They go out on your locally owned charter boats. They shop in your locally owned grocery stores, liquor stores and souvenir shops. All of these companies hire all kinds of local tradesmen and contractors. If that is not helping employ local Caymanians, who’s fault is that? If you’d rather, the visitors can be persuaded to go somewhere else so that the average Caymanian can benefit.
Your average Caymanian works for a company or government department that would not exist (or would be a tenth the size it is) but for tourism and finance. The no skills and no education Caymanians don’t benefit from any kind of business and never will unless they improve themselves.
Sorry to say ..but Hurricanes caused this…Cayman rapidly becoming a country for the rich & greedy.. not much to see here but caged up sick turtles, a few sting rays and a plastic beach …Bye bye Cayman soon to be…
But where are they all staying? If you scan through the online booking sites there always seem to be room rate specials available on Grand Cayman, which is a classic indication of a tourism industry in trouble.
The reality is that we aren’t making any headway (in fact we’re backtracking) in the lucrative UK/European market and are also losing business in one of our traditional markets, Canada, to other destinations in the region.
The other thing that puts a big dent in the arrival figures is that we still can’t attract any new big name players in the hotel business. If things are so good where are names like Hilton and Sandals? They’re investing huge amounts in other Caribbean destinations but not here. I wonder why?
These figures don’t add up to a tourism boom.
Population is increasing. People coming to visit friends and family and staying with them.
Let’s see what the numbers are at this time next year before our civil servants start their usual self adulation. One positive is that so far Tourism is one of the few government departments not tainted by corruption, but that may change.
It seems to me that most of the commenters on CNS never have anything positive to say about things! We have too much of a element of ungratefulness and hatred! Now you can give all the thumbs down and negative comments you like! I’m grateful for everything we have on our beautiful little islands CAYMAN! Thank god for our prosperity!
I say the same thing , complain ,complain, find fault in everything . ..go by the hospital ye want hear it ..grumble ,complain .and they getting it free .if they got wait few minutes for meds ,,other countries they wait for days . Lord help us please. Oh ,and Lord im thankful .
Agreed. Most of these complaining are able to eat every day because of tourism, they are just not bright enough to understand how.
God has nothing to do with our prosperity. He is technically an expat though.
more for politicians to waste on worthless contracts….????
This is mostly because of last year’s hurricanes destruction in the Eastern Caribbean. Rosa & Moses taking credit for this is laughable.
Are they taking credit or capitalizing on the opportunity? Would you rather the tourists have gone to another island? Is there anything that makes you happy?
Questions you should consider..
Capitalising on the opportunity would mean that they would have done something different to attract people to stay again. The only capitalising I can see here is these people trying to make the most of these numbers to boost their own personal reputations (“look what’s happened under our watch”). GT looks as bad as it did at this time last year. There are a number of things that could be done without great expense and which wouldn’t take long to achieve that could have improved the experience of those who have visited this year for the first time. I have seen nothing done by Government to ensure that these people make Cayman their first choice for future vacations.
spot on…. absolutely nothing to do with this government.
Thank you, many guest on our excursions mentioned that they were going to BVI but then switched destinations due to aftermath.