Uncertainty still surrounds return of cruise ships
(CNS): Dealing with the health and safety implications for the return of cruise ships to the Cayman Islands in the coming months dominated discussions between the cruise lines and the tourism ministry last week. But stakeholders are also keen to see other changes rolled out that address daily capacity issues and the sale of excursions before the ships and their passengers come back.
Last week, a delegation from the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association visited Cayman to talk about these and other issues, but so far few, if any, of the challenges have been resolved.
The current ban on cruise ships was extended by Cabinet last month, until the end of February, but at this point it is not clear if any ships will be calling on George Town at all during the first quarter of this year.
On Wednesday evening the Ministry of Tourism held a networking reception at the Kimpton for a cruise delegation led by the FCCA President Michele Paige and local tourism stakeholders. Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan said the first priority was to find a way to restart the industry and bring cruises back safely.
“At the very top of that list are health and safety protocols, because right now, due to the pandemic, we have no cruise industry at all. So our immediate priority has been to discuss a way forward that will allow cruise ships to return while keeping our community safe,” he said.
Ministry officials told CNS that the authorities here would like to see passengers take a lateral flow test before disembarking but that was rejected by the cruise lines as impractical. Nevertheless, the minister hopes that Cayman can be the first port of call when ships do begin returning, something that has not been rejected.
Given the extent to which the virus has spread through the Cayman Islands community over the last four months, for many in the tourism sector dealing with the problems of COVID is less of a problem than the relationship between the cruise lines and local operators.
With the industry at a standstill, operators say this is the perfect time to re-evaluate the direction for this sector of Cayman’s tourism product. The minister has also stated on a number of occasions that he wants to see quality over quantity and address the unsustainable numbers that are stressing the country’s attractions.
Bryan also said he recognised the need for government, the FCCA representatives and cruise tourism stakeholders to find ways to re-balance the distribution of income derived from cruise tourism so that Caymanian business owners have the opportunity to increase their earnings in return for the hard work that they put in.
“I am happy to say those discussions have begun during today’s meetings, and I am optimistic that a satisfactory outcome will be reached in due course,” he said.
For members of the Cayman Islands Tourism Association, there are a number of issues. One is the cut that operators receive for the services they provide that the cruise lines sell directly on board to passengers. There is also the issue of giving independent tour operators better access to passengers.
CITA Vice President Troy Leacock, who is the director representing the watersport operators, told CNS that the focus needs to be on better partnerships with the cruise lines so that they work with operators rather than competing against them.
He said local tourism companies want to see cruise lines create platforms so they can sell their products directly to passengers, rather than the current focus on ships selling their branded products to passengers and then hiring local firms to provide the trips.
Leacock said operators would like to see some kind of virtual online brochure rack aboard ships to allow more direct access to passengers and a fairer environment for those providing local trips.
But when she spoke at the reception, Paige said the cruise lines want to see new and better quality attractions so the prices can be increased to give everyone more, rather than re-balancing the cut given to those supplying the cruise lines’ products or working to facilitate better access for independent operators.
Over the last few years, opposition to mass cruise tourism has grown in Cayman. All over the world, the many downsides of cruising are increasingly seen as outweighing the limited economic benefits to the destinations, as passenger numbers overwhelm ports of call and cruise lines use their power to control passenger spend onshore and redirect much of it back to their own coffers.
The big industry players in the industry have a reputation of being very poor environmental stewards and exploitative employers. There is also growing conflict with destinations as they build larger and larger ships, which is all aimed at keeping passengers on board while in port, which has led to a backlash, even from destinations dependent on cruise business.
In 2019 the Cayman community made it perfectly clear it did not want to see Cayman invest in a cruise ship berthing facility. The activists who secured a referendum on the proposed project saved the country from what could have been an incredibly costly mistake from both an economic and environmental perspective.
In the wake of the pandemic, it is clear that the community is even more reluctant to welcome back the cruise sector. Although some of those involved in the cruise business are desperate to see the return of cruise ships, the welcome from the rest of the community when this happens is unlikely to be a warm one.
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Caymanians don’t want tourism but do want to continue the welfare state that is funded by tourism. Maybe they can start a Caymanian bitcoin scam to fund themselves? That bullet loan will only keep them going another year or so and then what? When there just isn’t enough money to feed all the unemployable voters and no one will give them another loan then what happens? UK take over I hope. Looks like we will find out.
How are the cruise lines able to sell or broker local tours and trips in Cayman? Do they have licenses for this? Cruise lines should get $0 for this. They need the attractions. Try negotiating harder for a better deal and then put it in a law. You are being bamboozled. Stop talking to the FCCA. Talk to the ship operators.
I understand from people who use Barkers Beach on a daily basis that the amount of plastic bottles washing ashore there has dropped by an estimated 60% since the pandemic shut down cruise ships plying the Caribbean.
I came on a cruise ship and saw your beautiful island in 2013. 7 mile was very hot. I took a submarine ride. That was nice. Thank you Cayman. I don’t need to see it again. Keep it nice and clean. Take care. Come see Virginia someday in the fall. We have a cruise port but its also a Naval base so nothing to save in our waters. Much love.
Both Troy Leacock & Kenneth Bryan present themselves as clowns seemingly displaying a huge lack of comprehension of the industry and Michelle Paige is unrealistic with what she desires. At the top of it is our Premier who’s fading rapidly on his spelt out ambitions to make a change for a better environment, in general a collaborative mess.
I get so agitated when operators make the claim that the cruise lines are taking over 50% of the money. The truth is an operator agrees to a net rate of what they’ll do a tour for and the cruise line will mark it up to what they think they can sell it for, – distributor & retailer. The underlying problem comes from the local operators undercutting each other to get the deal, the real truth is revealed with the locals taking money from the locals.
With regards to Mr Leacocks glorious proposition of ‘cruise lines creating platforms so they can sell their products directly to passengers, rather than the current focus on ships selling their branded products to passengers and then hiring local firms to provide the trips.
Leacock said operators would like to see some kind of virtual online brochure rack aboard ships to allow more direct access to passengers and a fairer environment for those providing local trips’
One word Mr Leacock, – ‘liability’ plus an additionally 3 words in a second case ‘competing against yourself’. For anyone that has operated a tour in recent years for the cruise lines you’d be very aware that they’ve become very conscious of safety, safety inspections, protocol for accidents etc etc. with cruisers looking to facilitate their libelous reputation going after the behemoths with money. Who is going to oversee all of these logistics and assume the costs for them without a bottomline benefit to their business as well as put themselves at risk with potential lawsuits ?
Mr Bryan’s demands are equally absurd. Demanding to be the first port of call when we’re slap bang in the middle of the typical Western cruise itinerary, – I’ll assume he came up with this himself. Mr Leacock is already complaining operators should be getting more money and Mr Bryan wants to stack up the cruise lines costs even more fuel bill (check this https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2022/02/07/crystal-cruise-arrested-bahamas/ and asking them to change their scheduling and lateral flow tests for everyone disembarking., – no wonder its a non-starter but yeah, sure fellas.
And Wayne, the environment, carbon footprint and all that, – I’ll tag you onto the list of disappointments.
Moving onto Michele Paige. Ms Paige needs to get her head around the fact that things aren’t going to be what they used to be for a very long time. Tour operator margins have always been slim, generally worked on volume but obviously deemed worthwhile. Everyone pre-pandamic was very aware of their costs, the volume of people they needed to make a tour viable. If you needed to change brand of drinking water for the guests it could be significant. Going back to the game post pandemic I’m sure its agreed costs have increased significantly and tour count numbers will be significantly reduced, lets say 50% and so where is that shortfall of cash going to come from. The only way to do it is to increase the cruise line retail cost of the tour without overpricing it or the retailer decreases their mark up. What Michele Paige wants to do is for operators to maintain their pretty much pre-pandemic arrangements but slide in faux gilded ‘increase the quality of the tour’ for an increase in net rate. What operators need to keep in mind is that ‘quality tour’ net rates will have to cover the non decreasing costs of doing a tour or 100% increase in revenue based on a 50% loss of volume unless cruise lines can guarantee numbers but they won’t. What Ms Paige really needs to do is slightly increase retail rates and increase net rates to spread the losses across the both the operators and cruise line spreadsheets but then that depends on who Ms Paige is really working for.
Cruiselines will never admit it but they are in serious trouble right now and in my opinion with environmental pressures looming the future isn’t looking too rosey to bail out the biggest carbon footprint contributors, – I’ll stop there but what’s your thoughts Mr Panton ?
Keep it terse and pithy. Attention spans for the under 50 crowd are small.
thank you Annie, noted, OP
I live in the United States of America. I have been reading your comments on your beautiful Island and the cruise industry. I go on cruises and I get off the ship on all islands and spend my money. I respect every Island’s beauty and never litter and always leave it the same if not better than when I arrived. We need to take a tender to access your island. This is not easy for older passengers. Cruise companies need islands to take their passengers. The only cruise only (no port stops) there are is for a 2-3 day booze and gambing cruise that never make it to your island. I love the little waterfront restaurant to my right as I leave the dock. Why don’t you give the cruise operators a list of concerns where the Cayman people get more. How much do they pay now for docking? Where does that money go? Tell them if they pollute our seas, they can’t dock. You control if they dock or not. Get involved with your government and force them to do what the majority wants. What does the majority want?
I have friends that stay at your luxury hotels and they never leave to spand any money outside the hotel. I do not have the best answer. I know that cool heads prevail.
$10 the only part of 7SMB they can go is Public Beach until DART closes that too?
Then where do they go; Barkers?
Wait a minute…..
You don’t want the jab. You don’t want the masks. You don’t want the cruise ships. You don’t want the tourists. BUT, covid not a big deal.
Open up fully, let everyone in, drop all protocols and prove you think covid is no big deal. Other than that you talking out both sides of your mouth.
Let’s say the cruise ships do return to Cayman…
Typically cruise shippers used to go to our beautiful beach and enjoy island hospitality at Royal Palms, Hemmingways, Tiki beach, Calico Jacks….these venues no longer exist, much of the beach has disappeared and huge construction sites dominate the view.
Has anyone given any thought to where the cruise ship tourists will go now?
Kenny Beach! (Turtle Farm II)
Well since it was Mr Dart that was responsible for the loss of all those venues, maybe he’ll open up his beautiful garden for them?
Your government should have stepped in to replenish the beach like every other island does! They never should have let it go to this extent! Just open EVERYTHING! The Queen who rules you has lifted every ban and mandate! Cayman should do the same!
Yes they have. Government is creating a pedestrian shopping precinct in GT so they can wander around aimlessly buying t shirts, jewelry and watches.
Bahamas
They can go to Kirk Freeport and [insert material name] International, eat at Breezes and buy some Cayman sea salt.
Pls give government workers in the tourist industry 25% of there pention instead of tbe stripen we would be most grateful please.
They take $1,500,000 a day in wages and you’re having to beg for a few dollars.
Vote them out. Go for direct rule using technology to improve your lives. The expats couldn’t give a toss, a few years tax free and we all gone.
From the article… Paige said the cruise lines want to see new and better quality attractions so the prices can be increased to give everyone more, rather than re-balancing the cut given to those supplying the cruise lines’ products or working to facilitate better access for independent operators.
Can anyone say what percentage the local tour/snorkel trip operators receive from the cruise lines when passengers are sold tours/snorkel trips while still on board the ship? My understanding is that the local cut is around 20-25% of the price. If true, that’s highly unfair to the companies that actually operate the tours/snorkel trips.
In Alaska and Maine, I hear that the cut is around 50% – for every tour that the cruise line sells to a passenger, they keep half the ticket price. Operators are discouraged (prohibited?) from sharing this information, and the cut varies from operator to operator, but it is huge. In the 1980s it was 10 and then 20 percent.
Everyone gets upside down about ‘their cut’ – the truth is the operator agrees to a net rate of what they’ll do a tour for before it eve goes up for sale and then the cruise lines mark it up to what they think they can retail it at, a basic distributor/retailer agreement. The problem comes from the operators undercutting each other to get the business and then claim the cruise lines aren’t paying them enough.
For goodness sake. . .forget cruise ships! Invest in pedestrianising and beautifing GT, move the dock to Spotts, put in a boardwalk, entice stay over visitors to eat, drink, play and BUY in a beautiful town centre. Imagine a different and better future for tourism.
FCCA is a conflicted intermediary “association” principally representing the commercial interests of Carnival and Royal Caribbean, and to a far lesser degree Norwegian (8.7%).
Michele Paige doesn’t care about any Caribbean destinations, their people, or their workforces/businesses, and doesn’t represent them unless they pay her colossal annual dues. They are not her concern at all.
Her “association” does not properly represent any of the smaller premium luxury liners that carry our target audience.
If Kenny Bryan can’t see what’s wrong with that picture, then we are doomed to repeating rejected policy, and should expect imminently a demand for another mass-cattle loading cruise pier.
reading the article it’s difficult to believe that either Kenneth Bryan or Troy Leacock have a fundamental understanding of how the industry works, – I’ll see your ‘doomed’ and double it ♣️
So, to summarise:
– we are just going to have to accept thousands of covid-carriers with no testing or safeguards of any kind
– tourism operators will continue to pick up the crumbs while the cruise companies make out like bandits from tours and attractions
– meanwhile the stay over tourists, who unlike cruisers actually contribute to our economy, will continue to be crowded out by hordes of cruisers and subject to intrusive and expensive testing rules.
Marvellous!
I can’t help but notice you are posting about the inevitability of COVID spread in other threads re the dropping of mandates. Pick a lane, man.
Wooosh….
I do support the dropping of all Covid restrictions for everyone – I am trying to point out the illogicality of maintaining those rules for everyone except cruisers.
There are already thousands of covid carriers on island. The community is loaded with covid carriers.
Well as a member of the community who has cleaned more than enough garbage from these cruise ships, I would say, find other ports. 2 years and I no longer have to clean 300 ft of shoreline, every day. Once a week now. No more knives, spoons, bras, swim tops, styrofoam, straws, etc.. Again, once into International waters, they drop whatever they want into our waterways…
“allow cruise ships to return while keeping our community safe,” – an oxymoron. It’s like finding a safe way to let a paedophile babysit your kids.
sad , but ho so true!
“want to see new and better quality attractions” — cant wait to see what we can offer.
Upscale Hell!!!!
Ou guys killin me, lol. ☺
Why do we let these carpetbaggers to visit Cayman anyway?
Just send an email with a list of things that Cayman will no longer do whilst being reaped and plundered economically, socially and environmentally.
If the cruise industry is able to understand those concerns and change it’s ugly ways, then we consider letting them sail in here again.
I’m am not sure that PACT understands the depth of anger that many voters feel about this industry.
Come see McBeater. The ultimate wonder of the Cayman Islands.
Turtle shaped ice rink is the way forward.
Ice Capades las Vegas review!
Kenny thinks he’s a local attraction, maybe a free cruise for him to tell everyone.
2 years of tourism hiatus and unemployment, and we didn’t even bother to pave a sidewalk on the lamp-lit east side of West Bay Road in the heart of the Hotel Tourism Zone. Barely any bike lanes for the hotel guest fleets, and dissolving to hard curbing at each traffic circle. Time and money wasted with too few beautifications, access and safety improvements, and with zero supervision or accountability. CITA is so blind with self-interest that it can’t produce a collective vision or execute self-funded product enhancements, in the common collective good, even with its billionaire duty-waivered stakeholders. But millions blown in a couple weeks slapping florescent yellow paint on traffic circle curbing…gotta have that for some reason.
this means they want to turn it into one of their theme park islands and/or sell Cayman our coral back and hire a foreigner sell out like coral jesus to keep tiny corals in tanks and charge people for it. Can’t have the cruise passengers jumping in the sea for free and enjoying nature! must. monetize.
There should be testing of all tourists for the common cold and the flu considering omicron is so dam mild it’s irrelevant. Omicron should have been called the Wuhan sniffles. One of these days the light will go in peoples’ heads the pandemic is over and let’s get the country up and running again
No, bobo, the pandemic is not over. Less than 24 hours ago, Chinese officials confirm fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak in Baise involves the Omicron variant, The city of 4 million is on full lockdown and sealed off.
I am for testing BMI. Those over 26 can stay on board.
Where on cayman are these cruise people going? There’s no more Royal Palms, no Calico’s, no Rum Point. There will be no cruise ships till Dart builds a new place for cruise passengers to go hang out for the day.
Have you seen what our Ministers look like. OMG!
So we are going to entertain cruise ships but can’t get our Minister of Tourism (laughable) to use common sense and work on getting over night tourist back to the island with dropping the unnecessary LFT testing on the 2,5,7 days and drop quarantine (visitors and residence). While the rest of the world moves forward and we continue to pussy foot on appeasing a minority voice that are not affected at all by losing on their investments, losing their business, losing their livelihood we keep losing our tourism to other islands who are flourishing and so are their economies. Nothing worse than losing large corporate groups who planned to come to the island only to go elsewhere because of our pathetic leaders and their pathetic policies. What really angers me is most people followed what this govt wanted us to do get vaccinated we did, get the booster we did, wear mask we did, enough is enough I’ve had enough of this govt BS. Kenneth and Wayne use common sense and follow the UK or CDC stop making shit up, just like the stupidity of using PCR to exit and that PCR value point level, only in Cayman.
Here we go jumping head first into the shallow end without floaties. Has anyone thought about what are we going to do with even a decreased percentage of the 5,000 that used to head to the beach before ?
Cayman has become so dumb as to allow their previously voted # 1 beach in the world to be compromised. We shouldn’t be allowed the privilege of inviting visitors here for just letting that happen
It seems clear to me that we, the great semi-washed, don’t have diddly to say about it. we won’t get a vote, we don’t have any influence, and all these “meetings” are just lip service to pretend that the working people have any influence upon this stuff, or really, anything else.
You want to find out what the people want? Have a referendum with the simple question: Cruise ships, yes or no.
Most cruisesheep are retired and go on a cruise for 2 reasons, to relax, and not to have to spend money after paying for their passage. We are not a poor country and we don’t need them, we have luxury hotels and luxury condo rentals to attract the affluent visitors who appreciate a quality holiday without crime and the cruise masses , and who spend a lot of money right here.
You’d be surprised how many property owners first saw Cayman from a cruise ship.
That i a myth. The number of property owners who first arrived on a cruise ship is less than the number of yeti living in East End.
that was funny!
10:35, Can’t imagine considering the first thing they see from a cruise ship is a giant pile of sh*t that is Mt. Trashmore quickly followed by the smell?
No cruise ships in 2021 and property sales/values have a record year with record duty stamp collection. Things that make you go hmmm.
100% agree. Cruise tourism hoards are the reason why nobody wants to be in, or go to, or through George Town. The thought is entirely repelling to our premium overnight guests. We should listen to those years of concerns and rebuild better. We’ve done nothing in 2 years, except coddle t-shirt and shot glass tenants that should’ve pivoted and adapted, and in the process disregarding our core product values.
Hordes.
Calling tourists to your shores “cruise sheep” is not really cayman kind at all. I am sure you would not like to be called names when you go traveling. Cayman is not an island that will be attracting affluent visitors either. There is nothing to do and they are looking for private villas and not cement blocks of hotels.
The requirements for people being allowed to disembark should be identical to those visitors arriving by air. If air passengers continue to be required to be vaccinated and produce a negative rapid test one day before arrival to avoid quarantine then those requirements should also be required of all cruise passengers. As it stands a person who travels to Cayman by air and encounters a flight delay or cancellation resulting in the arrival being rescheduled to 24+ hours of the original arrival date must get another rapid test before continuing to Cayman. If a cruise ship leaves Miami or Ft Lauderdale and Cayman is the first port-of-call but the ship’s arrival is delayed, regardless of the reason then every person on the ship must be required to meet the same arrival standards as air passengers. Cruise passengers must not be favored over air arrivals and stay-over tourism.
Cruise ships will return but there should never be large numbers of cruise ships in port on the same day, and the number of passengers allowed on-island on a given day should be limited. Excursions should be sold by the companies offering them not by the cruise line.
Build our berthing facility Kenny!
Oh please… Just go away troll.
No ships ever. We should focus on turning this highly posinous island more green and eco friendly.
The only people wanting to see these hulking environmentally detrimental behemoths back with hordes of people allowed to disembark with no LFT testing are CITA. Say no to Cruise ships!
I haven’t spoken to a single person in the last 2 years that ever wants to see a return of mass cruise ship tourism.
4:31; look for a Kirkonnell; outside of them you won’t find many more.
You haven’t spoken to me
The FCCA is simply a mouthpiece for the cruise lines, you can trust them about as far you can throw them. Haven’t we learned anything from dealing with them in the past?
The FCCA is Michele Paige’s private pay-for-access lobby group, hustling and shaking down every cruise-dependant business in the Caribbean. It has made her revoltingly rich, and she has the horse stables to show for it. Meeting a collection of junior management is not the same as talking to the publicly listed cruise lines or their C-suites. The CARICOM ports of call have all the negotiating power, yet here we are, lining up to peddle respects to Michele Paige’s pay-to-play association. This is the Moses K playbook and the wrong way to negotiate.
Why can’t they remove face masks for a photo shoot? Looks not only ridiculous, but downright crazy.
Totally irrelevant, and just a stupid comment. Please get educated!
Taking a photo with your mask on limits risk of Covid transmission, while sitting down at a table and guzzling Champagne with Canapes 15 minutes later with no mask required / mandated to sit & eat bears minimal risk.
Its Science, don’t question it.
Please don’t ever bring back the cruise ships. Have you noticed how GT is changing? The junky jewelry and T-shirt shops are slowly being replaced by local business catering to the locals. If this continues, we will get the GT waterfront back. It’s beautiful and a treasure that locals should be able to enjoy. So I personally say NO CRUISE SHIPS EVER AGAIN!
But they are closing Cardinall Avenue so you dont have to cross a little road to get from a jewellrey store to a perfume store!– for who?
What Mr Lumsden and his Committee should be looking at is the “Glass House”! Clean it out, which can be done, and create a home for the Cayman Islands National Museum. An attraction for tourists and locals alike. Especially, school children. The lovely grounds surrounding this attractive building, with benches and swings, would make it an attraction for George Towners and tourists alike!
It would be cheaper to knock it down than remover the mould.
Well thought and said Mr. Cumber.
Wishful thinking. If no cruise ships, many Cayman businesses will fade away. Not that that will bother me, but look to your neighbor on the left… Now look to the right… YES, there will be massive unemployment and loss of revenues. ARE you willing to pay to help your neighbors??? Yea, I thought so. Easy to vote to eliminate an entire industry without a thought of the financial consequences. And NO, I am no fan of the cruise lines, just looking at the larger picture which most in Cayman is unwilling to do.
That already happened when covid started. Lots of those who were dependent on cruise ships have now moved on to other types of businesses (granted, not all) so now is the perfect time to offer retraining to those who are still hoping to make a livelihood from cruise tourism.
the last few weeks of cruise snobbery haha…….cruises are coming back and there is no amount of anti-cruise sentiment can stop that.
i just hope cayman manages the numbers and not let it be a free for alll…..cayman traffic-flow is already at a standstill…even without full cruise ships and mnormal air arrivals
how could any cruise ship passenger here effect the current covid situation?,,,cayma(for better or worse) has one of the highest community transmission rates in the world.
God forbid that we find out that it could be worse!
Why is taking an LFT before embarking impractical? Seems like it’s quite easy! And it’s the minimum we should require for allowing cruise tourism.
Quite easy if somebody other than CIG is managing it! Unfortunately that is not the case, so it will get f..ked up! Easy is not in the portfolio of our ministers.
In BVI and they have cruisers here. They have to take and pass an LFT before disembarking. Why is it possible here and impossible in Cayman?
Until the cruse lines stop peddling the ‘warnings’ over booking anything locally and pushing their marked up ‘safe’ version you wont get much improvement in being able to sell directly to tourists.
I agree, BUT>>> The Local vendors need to get more professional and ethical. My experience has been that the local tour services are Piss poor in quality. They exhibit a complete lack of care for their customer; as if they were doing them a favor by actually showing up – for a huge fee.
Sorry, but this will not work out.
We don’t need them. Look at the blossoming Health Tourism industry here with more hospital/surgeries/retirement villages in the pipeline – it shows we can think out of the box and explore other avenues.
We do not need cruise ships. Look at SMB, Rum Point, Stingray right now, how crystal clear the waters are.
yes, tour operators struggle – but they can and should re-tool and target residents, stayovers, health vacationers families, etc.
We dont need cruise. Perhaps we limit ourselves to the luxury yachts? Why not? Just because a few retailers will struggle is no reason not to keep the massive cruise ships from returning. We can help those that will struggle.
Kirk Freeport? That entire BayShore Mall could be knocked and turned into luxury condo-hotel project and sold out overnight with some smaller high end jewel stores in the new build.
The Cruise Port? If ever there was a location for a Cayman Financial Services World Trade Center, there it is…a gleaming 20 storey tower with a few smaller beside it, with oceanfront walkways and residences included
And on, and on.
We do not need cruise tourism. Please dont go back to where we were. Embrace Health tourism, financial services, etc.
We dont need it back, we can help those desperate for it. And we can keep our glorious country relatively small and charming.
You are delusional!
We don’t need this type of ego-centric dream either thanks very much
Cayman is and has been a hodgepodge of strategy from day one. Back in the day the financial sector was conceived by politicians, civil servants and outsiders without a proper integrated plan for our people to be carried along with the industry from the outset. The word development has been banded about for decades and most take it to mean physical development be it roads, concrete and so on. Until recently Caymanians were sucked into this way of thinking that we were like South Florida, and identified more with sheet metal they drove rather than what was between their ears. The new generations of Caymanians have gone to university and are now being left behind because the absence of sustainable development and greed of the previous generation s is now showing up. Newer generations are finally seeing their place in the world and have a much stronger self concept than the generations who did not go to sea or university. National building and a proper structured sustainable economic development plan is required to address the issues being faced so that wealthy outsiders who have their own agenda do not dominate.
Fear not, Kenny boy is leading what he believes to be “negotiations”