Miller: Less is more for cruise sector
Cruise ship tender (Photo by Dennie Warren Jr)
(CNS): As criticism of the proposed costly and controversial cruise berthing project in George Town intensifies, Opposition Leader Ezzard Miller has said it’s not just the environment and the economics of the project or even the way that the procurement is being handled that gives cause for concern but the problems regarding numbers. Miller has said that in many cases stakeholders, including retailers and tour operators, can earn more on days when George Town is hosting less, not more, ships because overcrowding can have a significant impact on passenger spend or drive them back on board ship.
Based on anecdotal evidence of the days here when government limited daily ship numbers and economic information from other destinations showing that a dip in passenger numbers doesn’t always show a dip in passenger spending, the idea that the cruise tourism sector in Cayman will benefit significantly from piers may be misleading.
An increasing body of research now exists to show that more passengers does not always result in economic benefits to ports of call. Significant over-estimations of passenger spending have been behind decisions to build cruise facilities that have, in many destinations, failed to deliver for the local economies and people working in tourism.
Last year Cayman welcomed more than 1.72 million passengers, which was the highest number since 2006. But well over one million of those visitors arrived in George Town Harbour during the first three and last two months of the year. On 5 December 2017 some 17,605 people arrived in George Town on five ships — one of the busiest days of the year.
By contrast, owing to the seasonal nature of the sector, on 5 June just 2,050 people arrived on one ship. Consultants who worked on the business case stated that in order to justify the cruise berthing project Cayman would need to attract between 2.3 and 2.5 million passengers annually, which means that the five busiest months of the year will see closer to 2 million arrivals, with many more days of passenger numbers exceeding 20,000.
Facing the prospect of regular days where 20,000 people or more flood into George Town during peak season, there is evidence to suggest that spending could fall. Passenger surveys conducted by cruise ships about spending are generally unscientific and usually show much higher spending by passengers that the economic statistics collected in destinations eventually reveal.
One study by Ross Klein at the Memorial University of Newfoundland revealed that higher cruise numbers don’t result in higher spending. He said that less money actually stays in the destinations than cruise lines claim. “When local tourism organisations or ports conduct similar studies, they almost always find that the sums are significantly lower.”
Miller said that some retailers in downtown George Town still complain about higher passenger numbers because they don’t convert to more spending. He said he would like to see the tourism ministry return to limiting the number of ships that can call in port on a given day. He said that if the government presses ahead with the pier development, it will be seeking to attract up to four larger class of ships to the piers each day and in high season at least another two ships at anchor.
But Miller believes this is why not all retailers in George Town are backing the proposed development: they understand the negative impacts of overcrowding.
He pointed out that Cayman currently gets 90% of all cruise passengers on the Western Caribbean itinerary, with no indication this will change in the foreseeable future. “To spend more than $200 million to secure a percentage of the remaining 10% is totally illogical and a waste of the country’s resources,” he said.
Another issue that could see a drop in passenger spend, even in the face of this proposed increase in passengers, is that on very busy crowded days passengers arriving on the new Genesis class of cruise ships may opt to stay on board longer. This conflicts with the claims being made by the tourism ministry to justify the piers that tour operators will be able offer more trips because ships will stay in port for longer.
Miller disputes this and said there is no evidence that they will be anymore inclined to stay ashore longer. The ever-increasing facilities and amenities offered on board the new ships create an incentive to stay on board longer and far less incentive to spend cash in ports of call.
Miller has also expressed specific concerns about downtown commercial operations that will be put out of business in order to build the piers. Watersports operators stand to lose some $22 million per year with the loss of snorkelling and diving in the harbour, while some 40 tender operators will go out of business, along with the jobs which are largely held by locals.
In addition, a number of restaurants, shops and other businesses along the harbour front will need to move because some of the premises will be lost in construction.
Johann Moxam, a political pundit who has been increasingly vociferous in his public condemnation of this project, agrees that the impact of the increase in passengers needed to even come close to covering the costs has not been considered.
“How will Cayman accommodate the 2.3 plus million cruise passengers per year? Is new infrastructure being put in place along Seven Mile Beach to accommodate the volume of people?” he asked, as he has done repeatedly, but no one in government has yet answered the questions about managing passenger numbers.
Moxam said he is increasingly concerned that the government is pressing ahead with the project at any cost, which makes no sense and raises questions about the real motivation.
Category: Business, development, Local News, Tourism
http://www.destinationdevelopmentwatch.com/can-destinations-increase-revenue-limiting-banning-cruise-ships-yes-keep-reading/
Sounds about right
Amsterdam is now trying to decrease their tourists numbers as they are feeling the drawbacks to overcrowding. Interesting article and if you do a Google search you will find more on the subject. Everything has a pro and con and we have to find the balance. I think the environmental impact and the islands current infrastructure are key arguments against the port. Too much of anything is just as bad as none at all.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/cities/2017/nov/01/amsterdam-tourists-worst
“The total number of visitors took a leap from 11m in 2005 to almost 18m .
That’s a lot for a city of 850,000 residents”
[that is in Amsterdam]
How much smaller, territory and population wise Grand Cayman is? Do the math. 2.1mil visitors and 55k residents on 75.68 mi² rock.
No use posting things like that.. Kirkbots can’t read or think, all they can do is push a button.
There is always opposition to big projects and there are always people who think they know more than the experts, consultants and people that actually work in the business. It is what it is, any project Cayman has ever tried to accomplish had marches, protests and a big stink but as soon as it was done we all saw that we really did need it. We could go back to landing planes in the north sound on pontoons just to forsake development but that wouldn’t make any sense either now would it.
Interesting that events have turned around and now most of those who were saying and supporting the ETH extension, Kimpton, Camana Bay etc are now saying that the port doesn’t make sense. Good try, Kirkbot. You will need to work harder than that. BTW there is no clear evidence that this would work, quite the contrary, just talk and more talk.
I was just recently down there on holiday and hardly recognize the island after being away for a year. It’s starting to look like one big cement block. If I didn’t make many friends year after year from traveling down there, I think I would want to explore other locations for a holiday. I love GC and the people, but the uptick in prices and in construction, imo, is certainly a major deterrent and more big hotels to come. Another huge downfall is the disappearance in the future ( or already) of Royal Palms, Hemingways, Tiki Beach, Billy Bones, Calico Jacks , for tourists and even sadder, for locals. I understand that progression is good, but too much is excessive and ruins the vibe of what 7mb is all about, once again, imo.
Why not start by simply improving the facilities at Spotts Dock to attract additional ships?
the answer is in the question. spotts
but start a cruise dock Anywhere on the island and within 3 years you will see business’s sprout up quickly, from trinket sales, to restaurants to other developments.
You put everything in george town, you make georgetown the overcrowded area it is.
Use 60 percent of the island, by spreading out docks. including the cargo dock. And you will have balanced traffic. Which means less money on road infostructure. Because you do not always have to upgrade it, with decreased traffic.
And the traffic will decrease if you build docks in other parts of the island
spots should be where the cargo dock belongs. georgetown or west bay, one cruise dock, bodden town the other.
and watch how the traffic starts to become better. When people move closer to their jobs. That are being created in these new locations.
98% of people converge into george town every day because that is where the only cargo dock is and tenders for passengers. So that is where all the business’s reside
Still no MLAs calling for the enactment of the Standards in Public Life Law 2014, to provide minimal transparency on conflicts to the public. Not one. Maybe the FCO needs to intervene here to provide some semblance of good governance, they clearly aren’t going to do it themselves.
How about a total re-think, and some real long term vision being applied here…maybe take a leaf out of the dark overlord of Dart World and take a step back and try to envision 20/30/40 years down the road…..how about seeing that South Sound/Spotts is the location for a purposed built multi-generational cruise port experience….how about planning to reclaim the current port lands and rebuild the central business district of GeorgeTown on them…with condominium complexes and offices and open air pedestrianized park lands and concert venues on the lands currently occupied and sorely underutilized at the Royal Watler…..how about stopping the short term, knee jerking that’s going on and just finally doing something right? the road networks we have and will improve again in the coming years are simply stunning for a small caribbean island, why not plan to use them effectively from a new ‘central’ cruise experience in southsound/redbay/spotts locations? why not acknowledge that SMB is done and dusted, over crowded and over developed and follow the visionaries of Grand Harbour, CountrySide and Health City…think long term, not even medium term…..sure, we may witness a downturn in cruise visitation over coming 10 years or so because they want to dock….well guess what? they’ll be back soon enough when we create the biggest and most impressive cruise facility in the region…..and can immediately facilitate them access to the road networks to get them fast to Barkers, East End, Rum Point, etc, etc….this will never happen if it stays in GT.
How about SMB – and most of our airports – will be underwater in 30-40 years. Where is that infrastructure plan?
invest in a paddle board business
9:05am.
Short answer: NO!
Unfortunately your comments make too much sense.
I’m fairly new here but I’ve travelled all over the Caribbean. Most islands are fighting for more cruises and people are thirsty for work and jobs. It seems crazy that cayman dont have a dock. I’ve lived in st Martin where all the new ships dock and they have done such a great job. The new piers totally revitalized that island and town. I wouldn’t pass on this opportunity for cayman, s was ms like it has been a long time coming.
The bathymetrics and geology are totally different. There is no harbour 200ft from shore. It’s blue water ocean – and that’s during good weather. The calcified limestone is porous, cavernous, and highly fractured. It would very risky to anchor a $200-300mln dollar structure into that rock…and even harder to insure it.
But you never answered why we need a dock? We’e not fighting for more cruises. We’re actually fighting for less (on the days when its overcrowded in town and the tourists come off, go unh-unh and don’t go into the stores because we’re over-full).
PS> unlike the St. Martin pier plan these aren’t designed to revitalize the Town, they’re designed to put new shopping on the pier to kill the Town. (Depending on the Plan finally decided on, which is being kept secret from the public.)
Why is it all about spendings Mr.Miller? Why not a single word about residents? About their life quality?
Residents in tourism hotspots have had enough. So what’s the answer?
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/jul/17/residents-in-tourism-hotspots-have-had-enough-so-whats-the-answer
Kirkbots ate out in full force. Must be a slow day at Bay shore and Cardinal Ave
The Tale of a fisherman and a goldfish…. and a lesson about prosperity.
The old man bowed to the fish and said,
‘Have mercy on me, Sovereign Fish!
What am I to do with the wretched woman?
She no longer wants to be a tsaritsa,
she wants to be a sea empress.
She wants to live in the Ocean-Sea
with you as her faithful servant
to bring her whatever she asks for.’
Not a word did the fish reply.
She just slapped her tail on the water
and dived deep into the blue sea.
The old man waited and waited
But that was all the answer he got.
He went back — to a hut made of mud.
His old woman was sitting outside it;
And before her lay a broken washtub.
Alexandr Pushkin
The moral of the tale indicates that greediness and the thirst for more can never be quenched and will ultimately lead to nothing.
you could have just written the moral and saved us from the whole thing about tsaritsa
You don’t like Alexander Pushkin? Or never heard of him?
Tourism seems rosy now but in a year when traffic goes back to the eastern Islands everyone will be crying again. We have time now to shows up or place in the cruise industry and make sure we get the new ships coming out. Let’s get this done for our people now rather than have regrets and unemployed because we let it go.
Anyone that has read the eia can clearly see that the only pictured painted by those against the Port is the absolute worst case scenario. When this project gets under way and people see that there is no mass destruction there will be people looking betrayed by those who were just fighting to keep the tender cash cow monopoly alive.
No, anyone who has read the EIA can clearly see that there is a minimum level of damage to our marine resources that is unacceptable, and much worse damage possible if mitigation measures don’t succeed, and the EIA gives no guarantees that they will succeed and we know from the science of these projects that mitigation can only do so much to prevent damage outside the construction area and that’s IF none of the measures fail in any way and IF no expense is spared on them. There are NO guarantees here, none given nor possible (other than ‘we’ll do everything we can’ – what do we know this to mean in Cayman people?! That’s right, very little).
As someone who grew up attending birthday parties as a little kid in submarines or on glass-bottom boats getting a view of the marine life in and around GT Harbour, I can’t imagine taking that away from future generations of locals or tourists. It’s painful to think about. I don’t want it to happen. I don’t care how much money the tender companies make or if they are financing opposition to the dock. They are bringing tourists on shore sustainably, i.e., without damaging the beauty the tourists come to see. Tourists can’t ask for nor do they expect any more than that, if you ask them. They want to see the place the ship docked at, not the dock, especially not if the dock destroys attractions.
Many of the cruisers who get off the ship are here to snorkel or dive. Suffocating the corals in the harbour with silt from dredging so that the reefs die and there is nothing to look at means those tourists stay on the ship and many local businesses lose business. While the work is going on, not only will ships tell tourists to spend their money elsewhere because our shops are expensive (as they do now), they will also say not to bother with underwater activities on the western side of the island because they won’t be able to see anything. They may even say not to get off the ship at all because GT is unpleasant with all the construction taking place. Cruisers will remark on the irony of us destroying our environment to allow them to disembark faster when they are coming here to see our environment. They’ll think us stupid and won’t want to come as stay-overs either because we’ll have shown ourselves to be just like everywhere else: shortsighted and unappreciative of the environment, nature, conservation, and on the wrong side of history. Speaking of which, what are the ships going to do during construction? Go to Spotts every day? To get bussed into town to see a construction site?
Some of the best overall dive sites around Grand Cayman WILL be destroyed (the Balboa because it is literally in the construction zone and Devil’s Grotto because of the silt, and no, the fact that a cruise ship already damaged Devil’s Grotto ‘because we didn’t have a dock’ does not make up for that; it points even more strongly to the need to manage this industry so it doesn’t consume itself; the ship should not have been allowed to pilot itself if we value our corals).
By the time the dock is done the damage will also be done and then you will see charter companies, dive shops, underwater photography, everything connected to GT Harbour as it is now, contracting and closing up. This is not about one set of vested interests against another. It is about one set of vested interests against a broad range of commercial activities centered around the quality, strength and beauty of GT Harbour’s ecosystem, against the public’s right to have the environment considered in development decisions and preserved for sustainable commerce and future generations, against the attractions elsewhere tourists will be diverted to that won’t be able to handle the numbers, against locals who will have to put up with a ruined harbour, years of noisy, destructive building that we protested against, against everything and everyone but, as far as I can see it, two companies: DART and Kirk Freeport.
Two companies get to take $300M out of our finances, destroy the underwater part of our harbour, and change the shape of SMB, to have better footfall for their stores. Two companies. If that doesn’t blow your mind to think about; if it doesn’t make you think of state-managed economies terminally sick with corruption; if it doesn’t make you sad, you’re beyond help.
That’s really telling it like it is, 11:56 am……… and the people working on the construction will be brought in, just like always. The cash cow will be slaughtered, and we will have nothing but debt.
Once a certain number of cruise ship visitors has been exceeded the quality of life decreases and with it the tourist experience. The island infrastructure can cope with only so many people comfortably, beyond that it becomes a madhouse and hurts the island tourist product.
It would be interesting to know if any study has been done to estimate how many stay-over guests we get (or didn’t get) as a direct result of a cruise experience in Cayman.
In other words, how many cruise passengers have come here and then later decided to vacation here as a stay over guest, or decided against it because of their cruise experience.
14 thumbs down and counting on more information..
I recently visited Venice, Italy.
Thankfully it was not during the very peak of its season, nevertheless, the congestion, queues, and general frustration (I watched a Gondolino literally curse and chastise a Chinese family for almost capsizing his vessel due to them shoving another party whilst boarding) was enough to put me off ever returning.
It was a madhouse, street-market-esque chaotic scene at the majority of the sites and water stations.
Do a bit of research of visitor reviews AND those of actual residents – not very remain btw – and you’ll discover for yourself.
Cruise tourism is the most despised there due to environmental impact as well as sheer volume of passengers.
Whereas it is a beautiful, amazing city with such rich history and architecture, the experience of visiting is ruined by the mismanagment thereof which is motivated by GREED.
Sound familiar?
– Who
I have to agree with Mr. Miller and aside from the envorinmental impact, one should ask yourselves, when the cruise ships are in port, do any of you attempt to go and have lunch or venture that way for a cup of coffee, or drive through the area to get to work? I believe the same approach would apply to the cruise ship passagers. Also, most stores and restaurants in George Town have a maximum seating capacity. Where are the infrastructures to accommodate the volume? The beaches, Smith Cove and West Bay Public Beach isn’t going to cut it!! Can Stingray City sustain the increase traffic? You might just bite the hand that feeds you? One final note, with the increase volume of people means more sunblock and sun tanning oil, which has been scientifically researched and found to be killing the reefs in other countries.
I hope the government ensures the piers are sustainable or it could potentially sink us!
Everyone protested again the airport when it was being built because it would “kill the country” but look at us now building it 3 times bigger because it is a necessity. People always oppose progress, this the same. build the dock.
A big infrastructure decision is not responsibly taken until there is no alternative because there are always huge costs to them and not just financial ones. Look up the “Big Dig” in Boston for a perfect example. Did they wait too long to solve a big problem or did they wait until they had a big enough problem to solve, knowing what it would cost? It’s open to interpretation. What’s not open to interpretation is that there are huge costs and sacrifices, no matter when or how you do something like this.
We are expanding the airport at a minimum of inconvenience, stage by stage, without everything we wanted to have in it, and it is on land so we are not talking about environmental damage. It represents a sustainable progression based on development over a long period of time. It is 1/6th of the cost and requires no borrowing too. They don’t compare.
If however many years ago previous generations couldn’t picture Cayman the way it is today and thought we didn’t need an airport like the one we’re now rebuilding they had good reason. Look at some photos of the western side of Grand Cayman 30-50 years ago. GT looked like something out of the American Old West, just with a harbour. SMB was actually a beach. What would all the people arriving at this airport be coming to do? That would have been a very valid question. The airport was built anyway but as part of a wave of development that justified it. Our built environment is now pretty much static with the exception of the stuff DART is doing; the dock just stands out as an enormously expensive and destructive thing we appear not to need at all that very few people want. By all means, show me the redeveloped GT that goes with it and I’ll consider it. Show me the management plans for the increased traffic to our major attractions. Show me the revised laws like allowing gambling on ships while in harbour so they don’t want to leave so early in the afternoon. Show me the whole picture and I’ll see it. I don’t see it. We don’t see it. YOU don’t see it but you support it anyway. I would encourage you to think a bit harder.
Based on ANECDOTAL evidence it ISN’T ALWAYS THE CASE? That essentially means nothing. Do politicians/reporters on this island have any idea what evidence/data actually is?
What I think that some people are failing to understand about rhis cruise pier project , is that government money is not going to used to build this pier . So therefore the money man isn’t a fool , so therefore he is going to protect his investment to the fullest. With that being said, that mean that he will make sure that he makes /gets every possible potential dollar from the source of the revenue from the project pier for the next 25 – 30 years . And Mr. Kirkconnell said you the people would own it after that time .
So you figure this out , which one man on the Island has his hands involved in everything on the Island, and very possible will have both hand in the pier . I could say Mr. Miller or Mr. Bush , who would you say ?
If u believe our revenues are not going to build this pier u are kidding yourself. Might not be the capital expense but bet the head tax will suffer in some way.
The head Tax/ Taxpayers money will suffer and be no use for Capital projects for 25 -30 years . While the rich gets richer . Makes sense to you.
The punch line to my above comment , is what would you get and make from this new fancy pier , that will destroy YOUR /EVERYONE’S marine environment . That’s called cut off your nose for someone else benefits.
PWC if I recall basically trashed the business case for the port. The pro porters just dream up anything to line their pockets with absolutely no evidence that it will work. You really are clutching at straws, how much are you going to make if they build it?
When given information that conflicted with his view, Miller basically said, “Nuh-uh, because I say so.” When accused of not providing any evidence to back his arguments up, I’m expecting him to bring out, “You’re rubber and I’m glue.”
Red Bay!!! Argument done
7:01 pm: is this the best you can do?
Ezzard goes against anything that udp or ppm tries to do so this isn’t any different. If the dock was going in to north side he would be singing with joy. Johan has tried to start a couple politics parties so he just bad mouth anything everybody else does.
You obviously do not know either gentleman. Don’t let things like facts prevent you from posting inaccurate tales anonymously.
Actually it sounds dead on accurate, too hot air balloons and by the looks of it they still have plenty hot air left!
No he wouldn’t, nor would Caymanians and other residents of the district, and you can bet the people who built or bought vacation homes on the north coast would have lawyers ready to file suit against the Government on their mark.
Most of the noise against the dock is pure politricks. Miller and moxam are just making noise to go against any sitting governement regardless of how much good it will do for our people.
Correction: “Less is more” for our entire tourism product – but I understand and respect Mr. Miller’s point.
Unfortunately, one typically has to have traveled and experienced the world to appreciate the national sacrifice (in terms of “development”, commercialisation, “franchisement”, and modernisation) required in order to sustain an attractive and LUCRATIVE tourism industry in the long-term.
But hey, what do I know, right?
I am only racist, nationalist, xenophobic, misogynistic, homophobic Whodatis.
– Whodatis
Finally I can agree with you on all points.
At last!
Happy to hear it.
– Whodatis
*Hmmm, maybe I ought to run for President of the United States of America?!
Presumably including the last line of honest inward self assessment…
Well, thank you, Capt. Obvious.
:-/
– Who
It is curious to me that people believe they have a better understanding of the industry and economics of the project than the major accounting firms who have already researched and developed the business cases which have informed the government actions. The Chief Officer and his staff are appropriately following the professionals. As a working Caymanian I appreciate their efforts to build the piers and prepare for our future.
Ha! I have sat in on some of these presentations by these accounting firms and I can tell you with little doubt that they are paid to make the case for the Govt rather than to present the raw truth! If they did that they wouldn’t get the next contract
Surely you’ve heard that consultants keep getting hired until one of them produces the desired result ?
Have you read and analyzed the business case for this Port project if watch this space or listen to the debate on the motion, in a nut shell hardly worth the paper it is written on
Please read and understand the cost of the port project in 2011-12 under Premier McKeeva Bush.
One can only imagine what the final costs of this project will be given the new design in deeper waters under the Unity government.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSTRE7994Z620111010
I just read that and loved this part.
“LOCAL WORKERS FEAR BEING SHUT OUT
The proposal with China Harbour has fanned fears it will import thousands of Chinese workers who would stay in camps and send their earnings home, depriving the local economy of stimulus. Local construction workers, already hurt by the recession, fear they would be shut out of subcontracting work.
There have also been concerns over China Harbor’s cost overruns on a project in neighboring Jamaica, and over the recent conviction of the son of Bangladesh’s former prime minister for taking bribes from China Harbour.”
Again, these are the people WE want doing work for us. These are proven, verifiable, recorded FACTS! And the Kirkbots will thumb this post down because they are being told to do so or are blinded by ignorance. No-one in their right mind can thumb this down without a damned good explanation.
Anyone who thumbs this down should grow a set of balls and post why they thumb it down but I doubt any of the spineless bastards will.
New design in deeper waters require an updated EIA and updated business case that should be shared with the people.
Accounting firms are not real consultants, they will provide “expert “ advice on anything for a fat fee. Can we land on Mars (or any other planet) of course, how much do you want to invest?
I agree that we need to forget the cheap carnival cruises but we definitely need a dock or we aren’t going to get the ships that matter, the big oasis ships that charge the higher rates. Those are the boats we need and none of them will stop here because no dock.
The ships that charge the highest rates are the smaller ones on the water. We already get these ships (interestingly one of them is now slated to be visiting the Brac), but the question will be how many of these will continue to come when GT is congested and the beach experience full of hawkers? People travel to experience the wonders of different places. Our wonders are rapidly being destroyed under the banner of “progress” and being replaced by synthetic experiences.
Where is the voter-led petition for a full disclosure period and a referendum?
*this comment simply serves as a collection of my thoughts and rebuttals following the about 10-15 minute exchange on Crosstalk this morning regarding the port please feel free to listen yourself to the BS that Mckeeva is selling seemingly with the assistance of Woody Dacosta*
Listening to Johann ream Mckeeva this morning was a distinct pleasure, probably the most entertaining part of my day so far (watching Trumps attorney and former Campaign chief plead guilty and get convicted of various financial crimes and campaign finance crimes respectively is a close second)
You could almost hear him squirming through the microphone
The intellectual dishonesty clearly present within the statements and arguments of Mckeeva reveal his true nature as nothing more than a crutch within the pungent armpit that is the CIG and specifically this current administration.
Mckeeva claims that while he isn’t aware of the veracity regarding the rumors of the bidding process surrounding the port that no government or minister would purposefully destroy the waterfront, marine environment or the stretch of beach just north
Along with asserting in order to get something we need to give something up, the thing we would get is the dock (as if anyone truly wants that other than Kirkconnell, his family and the waterfront merchants and their employees) and the thing we would give up would be the marine environment of the waterfront and surrounding area according to M.
Mckeeva mentioned other projects undertaken by the CIG in the past seeming to imply that the people of the Cayman Islands always complain and that the government would simply ignore them
Mckeeva actually let it slip that he doesn’t believe the onus is on the government to prove that the potential cruise project will be safe for the marine environment. He actually thinks that the onus is on those who oppose the project (which is being negotiated completely behind closed doors mind you) to collect documents and evidence that says it will negatively affect not just the waterfront but the entire western potion of the island.
Meaning it us up to the people to forcibly shut this project down with a referendum (ask and you shall receive Mac)
Instead of saying to the government “Show me that this won’t destroy our natural environment and I will support it”, Mckeeva (in his infinite wisdom) is saying “People who have no insight into the process and have no clear information or access to documents other than a 3 year old EIA and rumours, have to prove it will be catastrophic for me to oppose it”
Essentially he is saying I will support it until someone can empirically prove it will completely destroy the islands western coast (which means he will always support it because the burden of proof is ridiculous)
Mckeeva also claimed that there is no evidence that the project will likely go over the projected cost and be delivered late, despite the litany of examples of the track record of the CIG when it comes to Capital Projects (Airport renovations, uncompleted JGHS, delayed
Mckeeva a man who takes every opportunity to attack the media (specifically CNS for providing a central area to criticize him and his cronies, really seems to believe that unless you are singing his praises you that should be silenced or shut down. He labels anyone who criticizes him publicly as a wannabe politician/naysayer then proceeds to rationalize every valid comment with his confirmation bias and goes right back to selling his snake-oil to the public. Not to mention using the office of speaker to try to silence both the media and members of the opposition.
For someone who spends all day attacking CNS and other detractors you seems to spend an inordinate amount of time hovering over any articles that mention him or his inflated ego like a fly over shit (as good an analogy as any)
https://caymannewsservice.com/2018/08/speaker-red-tape-charity/
Taunting and dismissing persons smart enough to remain anonymous because we all know the types of issues that pop into peoples lives on Cayman when they speak up against the powers that be using names
The vote on ballots are another anonymous contribution from the public Mr Bush and I guarantee you wouldn’t dare scoff at their validity, you could never be so bold
You hate CNS and other online media because this is where we can display permanently put on the idiocy of our representatives (like you).
And in case you think you are gonna be able to turn up in 2021 and claim your “hands are clean and your heart is pure” from the last 4 years of the Unholy Alliance
Don’t worry Mac, we will hold you as responsible as the ministers in the unholy Alliance
And the PPM doesn’t have a high retention rate when it comes to ministers
You picked the wrong bunch to lie down with
As a gambling man, you really surprised me by picking some downright shitty odds
Diogenes
Wow. Clearly you do not like Bush. Sorry I meant Honourable Bush . As the speaker of de house I thought he was meant to be independent. Clearly I made a mistake.
If anyone actually thinks he is independent from the process
I have a tower in Paris to sell them
And also yes
Am I have never hid my dislike for Mckeeva, Alden or Anthony Eden among others
What can I say, I don’t like snakes and old farts
Diogenes
Diogenes , You need to hold the whole government as accountable as you hold Mr. Speaker , not that any of them are saints . I do agree that he is no better than the rest of them . We need more people like you who will put politicians like Mr. Bush on the spot , then we will have a good government. The key is expose expose and more exposure of their two sided political talking.
Thank you, Ezzard.
This is more common-sense than anything, but we know the almighty $$$ is king in this Country!
Cayman stands to lose more than what could be gained if the pier does not go in. It is not so much the amount of people arriving, but how much time hey have to stay on the island. With the development of the new pier, it will extend the stays of those visiting via cruise ships, and therefore they will have more time to visit the far ends of the island which they haven’t been able to enjoy in the past due to time constraints. Think of how many businesses will gain new customers thanks to cruise passengers just having more time to get to further places!
So the vast majority of Caribbean Islands who’ve built cruise birthing operations must be real fools, huh? This is about the customer ( visitor ) experience ! Standing in cruise-ship stairwells for two to three hours to board a tender is not acceptable. Standing in the sun or rain for another 2 hours to board a return tender is no better. In the end it’s about the customer.
We don’t need no cruise ship dock. Build some shelter for the visitors at prospect terminal. Trade schools and adult learning centers would be great too. Legalize ganja and free up the youths. Cut the numbers of work permits by half .and leave the iguanas alone they not taking my jobs from me.
We don’t need the cruise dock. Fix the dump ffs. Stop being a worthless government, do something for the people and the environment for once instead of making more problems for us.
Move the dump to Bodden Town and let Dart pay for it. Georgetown has taken everyone else’s garbage for long enough. It’s another districts turn.
Don’t often agree with Ezzard, but on this subject he is on the right track for once.
The problem with the dock is that the island infrastructure, especially GT, is all wrong.
A pedestrianised water front, less concrete block buildings, more retail selection instead of the same crappy tshirts and over priced jewellery which the vast majority neither want or can afford. More coffee shops, local themed bar/grills, affordable restaurants and places that people actually want to walk into instead of past.
This island isn’t concentrating on the demographic arriving here en masse, instead has some delusion that everyone is rich. Just look at who gets off these ships and cater accordingly.
1.72 million people and Cayman all in the same sentence is already too much to think about.
I think that Mr Miller comment on less is much better and has
merits . Would you want to go into a restraint that has 20 or more people who are waiting in line to get in ? Same can be said for congested George town , People would get frustrated with situation and leave .
You can’t base any of that data, comparing it to a dock. Because the data was gotten from tenders. They have no data with a dock.
So you cannot compare apples to watermelon.
It’s like saying, i burn more calories with a bike than driving a car. We haven’t had a car. But we tried walking and bike riding. So we can be sure it will correlate to the car data.
wrong.
But nice try though.
How and who will pay for this project?
Ultimately the public will foot the bill. Where is the transparency and information to help make an informed decision?
well said again miller!
I agree Ezzard! Quality>Quantity
I am on the fence about this project and both sides have valid agruments for and against. One of the for arguments is that cruiseliners are building bigger ships like Carnival new class of ships which will be bigger than the Oasis Class and will not be tendered. Can someone help explain to me when all the larger ships are sailing by and would not tender what can we do besides build a dock?
This project is dividing our country and it is a hard proect to decide which side to support.
ONE WORD: GREED!
Miller is right in saying, “to spend more than $200 million to secure a percentage of the remaining 10% is totally illogical and a waste of the country’s resources”
Think of it: Tourists coming here will be swamped by overcrowding, and the Cayman Islands government will not be abled to handled the huge influx. The tourist themselves will be exhausted especially on hot days to deal with so many people!
Folks, pursuing money over being hospitable is not everything!
Learn well!
Red Bay is where it belongs.