Stay-over visitors increase but still short of 2019 highs
(CNS): At the end of May this year, the Cayman Islands had welcomed 209,135 stay-over visitors, which is around 90% of the headcount during the same period in 2019, the last year before the global tourist market was struck by the global COVID pandemic. Officials from the Department of Tourism said that there has been a steady uptick in 2024 on last year’s numbers, with the year-to-date figure showing an increase in 2023 of 7.3%. According to a DoT release, 34,882 guests flew into Cayman in May, 452 more than in May 2023.
Even though airlift and room stock have recently increased, Cayman has still not reached the record-high number of visitors it attracted here in 2019. This year is expected to be a record-breaking year for travel around the world, but so far, Cayman has not yet matched the pre-pandemic over-night visitor numbers seen in 2019
Travellers from the United States, which is fueling the global travel surge and continues to be the largest source market for stayover visitors to the Cayman Islands, accounted for 83.2% of total visitation. In May 2024, US visitors accounted for an 84.7% share of total arrivals, which was slightly less than in May 2023.
Canada remains the second largest source of visitors for the destination at 7.5%, followed by Europe at 4.8%, maintaining similar figures from 2023. Arrivals from Canada, however, grew by 34.1% in May 2024 compared to May 2023, representing a 5.2% share of total stayover arrivals, up from 4.0% in May 2023.
Inbound seat capacity and flights to the Cayman Islands increased last month. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), there were 363 flights in May 2024, up 31 incremental flights from last year. Inbound airline seats from the US, UK, and Canada rose by 7% from May 2023, jumping from 57,121 to 61,051 in May 2024. The most sizable increase of inbound seats was from Canada, which saw a 65% rise with 2,331 more seats compared to May 2023.
This growth in the number of flights and inbound airline seats sets a positive outlook for the future, with the summer of 2024 bringing more flights to the destination, the Department of Tourism said. This month, American Airlines will continue its daily summer service from Dallas and add a Saturday flight from 4 June to 5 August 2024. Southwest Airlines has launched a daily service between Orlando and Grand Cayman as of 4 June, and JetBlue Airways will add a second flight from Boston on Mondays starting 28 October 2024.
Sun Country Airlines will begin offering twice-weekly flights from Minneapolis to Grand Cayman from 20 December to 12 April 2025, and starting 20 December, Delta will be offering three weekly flights from Minneapolis-Saint Paul to Grand Cayman
Tourism Director Rosa Harris welcomed the steady growth in visitation. “The Cayman Islands is an attractive destination in the Western Caribbean, and our tourism product offering is further enhanced by additional room stock with the opening of boutique hotel VIDA Cayman Islands in Barkers West Bay and Hotel Indigo Grand Cayman on Seven Mile Beach,” she said.
“With a successful combo of new accommodations and increased flight services, The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism anticipates that our tourism performance will continue on a strong recovery trend,” she said.
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Well your numbers are about to drop big time, as GC is about to be trashed by Beryl, good luck!
Who wants to come to an Island only to find that it has worse drivers and traffic than Miami, but looks much the same as Miami suburbs? There are few natural attractions left, Seven Mile Beach is now false representation, reefs are a shadow of what they used to be 25 years ago and the diving industry as a result is in decline. Mangroves, the nursery of Cayman’s coastal waters have been ripped up in favour of town centre and residential developments.
The once laid back island ambiance is gone, the rat race has taken over. Does our current cadre of tourism prima-donnas, and minister included realise that there are other islands that didn’t destroy what kept the repeat visitors coming back every year?
Cayman’s moronic shortsighted politicians are also complicit in the decline as they have been and still are more interested in filling their bank accounts from developer back handers. And our tourism ministry is busy squandering more money on swag and frivolous advertising that it return is revenue. Now we have hell to pay but the money and the things that responsible islanders and respectful, repeat visitors held dear are long gone. The irony is that our Department of Tourism officials are supposed to have their ears to the ground but instead seem to have their heads in the sand, or more like in the clouds?
Take a cold hard look at what Cayman now has to offer stayover tourists…
Very expensive accommodation, crowded roads, overpriced restaurants, overcrowded North sound, and cruiser jammed town and roads.
Also gone , tranquil beaches, (now infested by Jamaican higglers), friendly Caymanian staff in hotels and restaurants, reasonable air fares, and fast disappearing sense of a crime free destination ( thanks Mac).
Why don’ they get AA to go back to their 4 flights a day on a 737 not two flights a day to MIA on a 319? As posters keep saying we need a daily early morning departure, not the once a week on KX.
Its too expensive here now. People are looking for better value for their vacation spending.
Is 2019 when a lot of the other islands had hurricanes and people switched their holiday plans to Grand Cayman?
Also, a lot of the other islands have cheaper airfare and accommodations.