Local operators get a chance to meet cruise execs
(CNS): The Ministry and Department of Tourism have organised opportunities for local tour operators, representatives from major attractions, suppliers and retailers to meet with cruise industry executives next week. Local people who own tourism-related businesses and are already doing business will get the chance to raise their concerns directly with the cruise companies.
For years local tourism business owners have complained about how their margins are being squeezed by the cruise companies, making it almost impossible to earn a living.
The face-to-face meetings will take place Wednesday, 21 June, during the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association’s (FCCA) Platinum Associate Membership Advisory Council here in Cayman and will enable stakeholders to address their concerns.
“We aim to assist the private companies by fostering communication, encouraging cruise lines’ purchase of local goods and services, and identifying any concerns or opportunities that can help Cayman’s cruise tourism sector to flourish,” said Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan.
There are two sessions available catering to a wide variety of sectors within the cruise industry. Session 1 will be for stakeholders involved in tour operations or shore excursions, and Session 2 will cater to those that manage port operations, itinerary planning and retail.
The meetings are open to local companies who hold contracts with or aim to engage in talks with cruise lines. Companies can register up to two people online here.
The deadline to register is Monday, 19 June, at 5pm.
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid
Tell them to GO AWAY!
why? at least their visitors don’t rent cars, get into accidents and clog up the roads.
Absolutely. The stayovers cause accidents and contribute to our traffic jams.
At least make them pay $500 for a temporary two week license.
The Cruise lines put on a front, they listen but do nothing to meet shore excursion operators demands. They pit one operator against another until they get the price that they want for the tours offered.Laughable!
Yeah but Mervin, you don’t have to take their price.
The price created by the Cruise lines is controlled by local companies all over the world. We the fools who should control the price. But through our greed drop the price, not the cruise lines. We control on island not the cruise lines. Many offer the same tours but to get volume we cut the price. So don’t blame them, blame us.
Dave Miller
absolutely right Dave Miller, – ‘yeah but I’ve got a hundred people on my boat’ oblivious that they’re still running a loss with 100 people. I would further add that post pandemic a fair few operator idiots were so keen to be first at the trough they didn’t even bother to evaluate the new cost of doing business before entering into new contracts and now complain they cant make any money.
Will they agree to stop dumping cruisers messy bilge into the Entire Caribbean Sea?!
Where all this bleaching and red tide etc coming from?!
Not to mention the air pollution/ scrubber issues.
I can well see and measure how CIG benefits from the cruise ships. How does that trickle down to the populace, other than a few tenders and taxis? Nada, that’s how.
Then you factor in the environmental degredation these monstrosities cause. I think we would ALL be better off without ANY cruise ships.
actually if you realize that those funds help pay for all the services the civil service provides i think it becomes clearer to see.
Tin foil hat for you my son.
Get CBC and Immigration down the waterfront every day asking for the papers of those people harassing the cruise shippers.
Most are second jobs, probably illegals for all intents and purposes.
Let’s see how many we hoover up in one week. Bet as soon as CBC and immigration take a walk it will be surprise surprise, none of those hustlers and buskers to be seen on cruise day. I wonder why.
Cut them completely
Yeah a couple of companies will go under but the massive improvement to every other aspect of life on island will outweigh some crying from the taxi cartel.
misery loves company, eh?
I do hope the shopping cart coconut man will be there.
Machete, cart, cooler and all!!!
Hope he placed his dirty machete in checked baggage!
The problem is our main attraction stingray city too many fooking foreigners out there. Trying operate like the locals.
They come with their nice boats thinking they own the bar…
me a young caymanian 4 or 5 generations here, I anchored close to this white man/limeh like how we normally do at the bar with any other vessel. He had started to get frightened as my vessel was getting close I just tell him no problem we just going be close everything will be good.
My boy reply “it was all good until you showed up”, as if no one can anchor 100ft around his vessel.. I tell him straight GSYM.
Some of them anchors right in the middle of the bar thinking these the sand bars in Florida, if you arrive to the sand bar and see everyone anchor in a certent way y not try do the same.
As for the ship my customers only use them as via transportation they be selling tickets 120 usd a person and by time it reach the operators it 11-15 usd depending on the ship.
We need to make these operators 100% caymanian. They are a few that can be grandfathered in as I have watched them. they do genuinely care about our islands and wild life.
We need to take back our islands government are too soft with the foreigners. Fooking uncle dart got everything. Thinking he doing good cause he lay out some roads and give scholarship to a caymanian here n there..
What really hurts me though is government are scared to set their foot down and layout some laws.. that would benefit us. Stingray city should be for caymanians some limehs may cry n say there is no such thing as a real caymanians look here MF we are a small little niche group our little heritage and little traditions that we developed within 5 generations is unique. All these paper caymanian white people want our title but non of their bloodline weaved rope, hats, baskets, wompas if that how u spell it, went out to sea, plastered the house with watle and dub, went out the the keys on cat boats to get catch turtle, I can go on… we need to separate caymanians and “paper caymanians”
Now that this issue is rising about 5 generations into our timeline if a paper caymanian wishes to be a proper caymanian they would have to have a kid here with a generational caymanian M/F mix is fine as long they been here 3 generations. I think that’s when our logging of info started bout then. Now their kids are adults. they continue on the process having kids with generational caymanians repeating until the fifth generation is born and only then they can classify as generational caymanian..
Congratulations u are now caymanian now all benefits will apply
Thats my young novel
Thank you for reading
Published by, cheeeah boooh paper works
Main office: log woods, west bay
Second branch: Dog city, George Town by KFC
You are a star.
Rarely have I ever read a wall of text so consistently retarded. You started strong and kept the foot down all the way to predictable end.
Bravo.
I’m stealing this comment to use it myself in future.
It’s evergreen, and could apply to oh so many comments from so-called multi-generational Caymanians posting on this website (on which point, I also endorse 11:49’s point below about multigenerational being a worthless term).
I understand the sentiment behind what you’re saying but when you get older you’ll appreciate that you’re no more Caymanian than someone else who was born here and grew up here regardless of how many generations your ancestors have been here.
Your argument is basically no more justifiable than discrimination based on skin color. But given what you wrote I suppose you think racism is ok. Do you think that’s a generational Caymanian tradition you should be proud of upholding?
Brilliant satire!
Well said Bro
Stand strong yes!
You may be right…separating paper caymanians from you may just make sense for everyone
Sending our best and brightest!
Also, who is paying for this meaningless trip?
In order to qualify for FCCA Platinum Associate status, our vendors must submit $50,000 a year (each) to Michele Paige. Caribbean port of call vendors should form their own CARICOM association and charge Michele Paige for access. That would make more sense than paying a rich white lady in Florida to carry notes for the service and labour tier of cruise tourism. Shoe is on the wrong foot. Cut her out entirely.
FCCA needs to meet the FCPA. That would be a meeting we’d bring popcorn to.
Build our piers!
Hoping the orca revolution grows to include the larger whales to disrupt the most ecologically destructive tourist industry.
Why bother? The cruise lines will always try to squeeze the operators. Simply cut out the cruise lines. If the operators organise themselves properly (and stick to it) they can have a booth(s) on/near the pier where the cruisers can come in and purchase whatever tour they wish for a better price than on board. The organisation could even have a website listing the tours, times, details where cruisers can request a booking.
I have done this many times in the past on various cruises and never booked through the cruise line. The operators always said the same thing – cruise lines squeeze them – from Alaska to Norway.
Completely agree with this! If you read any number of forums dealing with cruise lines everyone says to book with the cruise line rather than the operators. Scare tactics by the cruise lines saying they won’t wait for anyone who hasn’t booked through them. All of the tour operators on island will work together to make sure their guests make it back to the ship on time.
Cruise lines make all the money and the operators here are paid peanuts.