Cruise dock referendum before end of 2024
(CNS): While the Ministry of Tourism and Ports is pushing for a new cargo dock, the government announced Wednesday evening that there would be a referendum, likely before the end of the year, on whether the Cayman Islands should also build a cruise port. Referendums in other countries are routinely held at the same time as elections to save money. However, even though the next General Election in the Cayman Islands will be next April, the UPM has apparently decided to hold this poll separately.
The release from the government, which stresses declining cruise passenger numbers and the impact this is having on small business owners dependent on the cruise industry, makes it clear that Tourism and Ports Minister Kenneth Bryan is in favour of a cruise dock — as he is a new cargo dock.
“Although it is evident that a cruise berth is a critical item of infrastructure needed to support the cruise tourism sector in order for its viability, this decision cannot be made without first obtaining the electorate’s views on the matter,” he said in the release.
However, many people would welcome a reduction in the number and size of cruise ships coming to Grand Cayman and believe that to help the affected business owners, the government should help renegotiate the proportion of the payment for tours and attractions taken by the cruise lines, which currently gobble up the lion’s share, leaving tour operators scrambling for scraps.
The release said that since cruise ships returned to the Cayman Islands in 2022 following the end of the pandemic, cruise passenger arrivals have significantly declined. There were 743,394 in the nine-month period that the port was open in 2022 and 1.2 million in the full year in 2023, which was the lowest passenger arrivals in over two decades.
From January to June 2024, a total of 634,212 cruise passengers arrived aboard 197 ships, which is a further decline of 108,341 passengers compared to the same period in 2023 and 37% less than the corresponding period in 2019.
The release stated that the Cayman Islands cruise sector is predominantly serviced by Caymanian-owned small and micro businesses and employs a higher ratio of Caymanian entrepreneurs in public transport, watersports, retail and tour operations than the stayover tourism sector.
“These businesses have invested significantly in inventory, human resources, service contracts, and fleets of boats and buses, hoping for a rebound to pre-pandemic levels of cruise tourism. The stark decline in visitor numbers, as well as having an adverse effect on these businesses, is also negatively impacting government revenues earned per passenger from departure tax,” the release stated.
It also referenced the threats from the major cruise lines, which they have been making for a number of years, that without berthing facilities here, passenger numbers will further decline because the turnaround time required to transfer passengers from ship to shore by tender ships is impractical.
They also noted the tendency for cruise lines to build ever bigger ships that carry upwards of 6,000 passengers, which they say will make passenger transfers by tender completely unfeasible. However, the release does not mention that many ports, in Europe especially, are restricting the number of cruise ships or banning them completely because of issues like pollution and reduced quality of life for residents.
Minister Bryan, who has consistently advocated for a referendum to give voters a chance to record their view on the matter, said, “In the absence of a definitive decision on the question of cruise berthing, it is near impossible to craft a viable cruise tourism policy that directs the industry over the long term or to provide any meaningful guidance to those servicing the cruise sector. Consequently, a core decision from the people of the Cayman Islands is required to facilitate future strategic planning for the cruise industry.”
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Haha there goes the prison
Do cruise ship passengers actually bring any significant revenue in? Or just clutter up the place?
I say bring it on, let the people once again voice our rejection of this short sighted and self destructive proposal born of greed and pushed by avarice, and once all is said and done let this be the last we ever hear of it and let us remove the ones that continue to try and cannibalize our peoples future for their own gain from office.
Come election in may 2025 let us show these greedy self service corrupt cretins that they have no place at the helm of this ship of state.
Yet another decision the government can’t seem to make’
what have they done in this tenure?
No development plan
No tourist plan
No Regen
No Traffic plan
No Twin Otter Little Cayman
The list goes on
To be fair they did achieve a fine of 500,000 Dollars if you feed chickens.
Isn’t the nice land pictured on the Compass front page (the dock and cay by Lobster Pot), actually now Sold or leased by Government long term, to a private developer!
The land that is fenced off two blocks away from the Lobster Pot is the land formerly owned by the late Ernie Smats. CIG paid $6m in November 2021.
Nothing has happened since. That is no surprise.
Has anyone raised this matter apart from myself
No because no one cares. Life will continue with no one asking questions.
Cayman is lethargic so why do we bother.
Only referendum we need right now is on Kenneth Bryan and that shall be held in May 2025. Geroge towners if you have any sense of self you will vote this man so far out of office he’ll not even think to run again! What he is proposing has zero benefit to you and the rest of your country men and women. I’m hoping you dont drop the ball.
I agree with you, but have little faith in the electorate – uneducated, no ability to understand the stakes of issues, misinformed, bought-off.
Well their Children better wake up and get off the program, or get lost in what will be if he gets his desires.
The liners also lie and extort. Post-Titanic, all passenger ships must be equipped with uniform standardised height entry/exit/evacuation doors on the hull and with ample onboard quick-launch lifeboats. Even the largest cruise ships must pass these tests before they are commissioned for use. There are many regions of destination itineraries where tendering remains the only option, like the South Pacific. To suggest that tendering is impossible, can’t be done quickly, or is even unusual, is simply a lie. They just want to tie up and save on fuel costs. We might have spared the environment and anchor dragging by building the permanent moorings that were first proposed in the 1990s. Get the liners to pay for those, or beat it. We don’t need to sacrifice our water clarity, marine biodiversity, dive and watersports industries to let our crooked politicians save face. Let them return whatever gifts and money they improperly accepted from FCCA, get their legs broken, or whatever the threat du jour is. It doesn’t concern us.
Has anyone reached out to His Majesty the King, his charities and patronages, to see how they might feel about the stewardship of this unelected territorial regime hell-bent on tearing up the landscape? Maybe the Navy ship should circle back here.
I’m on the phone to him now. Still on hold….
This vote is a misdirection. Bryan assured “his people” last night that Cabinet are already open for business, set in mind (on a dubious population expansion model) to approve one of the big port redevelopment dredging proposals, they just haven’t settled on which one yet. In green-lighting industrial scale dredging, as they have already decided, enables this and future CIGs to pander to FCCA, accept all proposals, approve landscape transformative digging projects like DART’s Marina hotel, super yacht parking to yacht club and Ritz, Imperato’s Quarry Port, the East Arterial Highway use case, and Schilling’s Little Albany big dig in the Brac. Until proven otherwise, it really screams like big developer projects and construction is really how our Cabinet gets paid, and who they feel they really work for. Where is the Governor and ACC on this?
9:33, You need to understand what the Governor can constitutionally do. She is not a politician.
Would you like to have direct rule? Might be the answer to clean up the massive mess.
this is a soundbite and the reality is they are just kicking the can down the road…
referendum will not happen in 2024.
any update on the referendum for decriminalising pot and the national lottery?????
Development heights/storey limits on all waterside land.-yes
Immigration/work permit caps-yes
Ganja-no
Public Beach access-maybe
Relocating Gov House and creating large public beach on SMB-no, We don’t need to fill up anymore beaches with higglers and cruise ship passengers.-Let’s keep one beach decent.
After the Finance Industry inevitably relocates, Cayman’s population probably shrinks to around 25,000, and revenue plummets to 10% of current. Loans are called and CIG has busted everyone that’s left, while still owing $2.1 Billion in undeclared liabilities. There is no plan, reserve fund, or vote for this increasing likelihood, such is the mismanagement we endure.
I can’t wait – truly! It may be the best to be hoped for… and I’ll order a pallet of smudge pots and mosquito repellent for my neighbors and take my SCUBA gear to another more welcoming country, along with my physical presence (yes, I fully understand many of the couch typists will welcome my departure; but you will also lose a 40 year expat that has added hundreds of thousands of dollars into your economy supporting many locals – very happily! I’ll have fond memories of Cayman of the 1980 – 2010’s. So long and thanks for all the fish!
I don’t think it relocates it probably just dies if the US and or OECD actually get serious about making it really punitive to do business here. We’ve had quiet for a couple of years but they’ll be back for another crack soon enough.
If the financial services sector is damaged, I suspect it won’t be through US or EU action, as that danger appears to have abated.
Rather, I think it will be competition from better-run jurisdictions. Singapore and Dubai are making a good go at being regional financial hubs, and they have far more efficient court systems.
E.g. CIG have refused to build a proper commercial court for decades: they’re too busy pocketing their work permit fees and developer kickbacks to actually look any further than their own self-interests.
What Cayman needs is a new Financial Services Division court, built in Camana Bay, to modern standards. Presently, we look like a 3rd world jurisdiction.
You had me until you mentioned Camana Bay. I have nothing against Camana Bay, but I’d rather that CIG have some sense to remain at least at arms length from ANY private business, let alone one who owns so much of our country. Keep CIG Independent. Yes, I realize there are many arguments that horse has left the barn, but that isn’t my point.
Moving a court to Camana Bay doesn’t help being viewed as better than 3’rd world; it makes us look more like a true banana republic.
It is often touted that thousands of locals work in the cruise business. Yet I seem to recall that, during the pandemic, when a stipend was given to those workers the numbers who claimed were drastically short of those figures that had been speculated. CNS I think you did an informative article on that at the time, could you please post the link. Like others, I believe the real pressure to install this dock is coming from outside of these islands i.e. the massive cruise ship conglomerates.
Let’s not forget Jamaica, who depends on Cayman to keep their visiting number of ships high.
Grand Cayman really isnt much of a desirable cruise destination. There is nothing of interest downtown; just buildings from the 1970s and 80s, with jewelry and souvenir stores. Or crowd on public beach.
fool. cayman is one of the best cruise stops in the caribbean….and leads to many coming back for longer vacations or permanent move.
you could say the same about any other caribbean cruise port…zzzzzzzzzzz
A lot of that might be true, but geographically, it’s also the most popular destination in the Western Caribbean itineraries, perfectly situated mid-way. Cayman holds the negotiation power, not FCCA. Let them threaten and whine – there is nowhere else that comes close to the draw, and they know it.
So explain why they are dropping Cayman from their schedules? You are totally wrong, they love to come to Cayman, on their own terms for the boats they are heavily investing in. They can go elsewhere, and are. Cayman may never get the cruise corporations back like they used to; and that may be what Cayman wants. BUT, be careful for what you wish for. I forsee financial sector to start to leave, and cruises to decline, leaving you with rich locals and rich expats who milk the country of everything it has! Great strategy for the sub HS educated Cayman Ministers who can’t balance their checkbooks (partly because they don’t need to – they have enough dirty money coming in; partly because they can’t do simple math).
That is pretty all the industry wants. And if you get too far away from the dock these days the ship will leave you behind.
I think this should be left to the voters. If people don’t want any cruise ships or cargo docks, that will be their decision. It WILL impact a lot of people who are already in the business. Cayman brac and Little Cayman is doing fine. We can all party and smoke marijuana and go fishing. Just be happy working for government jobs that pay the minimum. It’s very rare to get fired, “so we good”. So the rest of the people who want to make more and don’t want socialism will go the path of Jamaica? We all can line up at NAU.
But remember it’s not just the Craft Market, taxis, tour busses, stingray city. There are duty free shops, bars and restaurants. If they fail it would be a blessing for a larger corporation to control that market also. Did you all think these companies were going to be bankrupt and an angel wasn’t going to the rescue? Do you think Caymanians are going to operate them? Ah genius’s
Drunk at 8:23?
Stoned?
Thumbs up for the port and thumbs down for no, –
there Kenny, made it easy for you 😉
kind of mimicking Simon Cowell, ‘and that’s a big fat no from me as well’
One very simple question:
Will the results of the referendum be binding on this government and/or the government that is elected in 2025?
Without a binding referendum the money spent will be just as big a waste as the four years of salaries we have been paying to the 19 of them.
A government-initiated referendum is binding automatically – also elected representatives would be foolish to try and ignore it in the near term even if the vote is prior to the election
A people-initiated referendum is only binding under certain circumstances which are listed in sec 70 of the Constitution
It will be binding. Until the next proposal which isn’t covered by the question asked. – Think about it. Either they ask a meaninglessly basic question, e.g., are you for or against any kind of cruise pier, which leaves anyone with sense stuck in the middle unable to choose in an informed manner because its too broad so the the referendum fails to be binding, or they ask … what?
Why should we spend millions of dollars to have a Referendum before the end of the year with election coming up shortly after that. Kenneth if you do not have a grasp on economics we won’t hold that against but for the love of God you must see that that is a rediculous stupid, expensive idea. Come on Kenneth Jefferson, please help this man with this one. Where is Marco when we need him!
Where is Marco? He’s earning gazillions in a cushy no pressure job in the Cayman Stock Exchange. No one can explain to anyone else why we need such a thing as a Stock Exchange but it gives loads of money to its employees so that’s alright then.
This is absolutely not true, – the problem is and always has been operators with a ‘crabs in the bucket’ mentality driving their own prices down trying to take business from their own brethren… yes the cruise lines may take advantage of this but it stems entirely from the operators and their perceived advantaged greed.
However, many people would welcome a reduction in the number and size of cruise ships coming to Grand Cayman and believe that to help the affected business owners, the government should help renegotiate the proportion of the payment for tours and attractions taken by the cruise lines, which currently gobble up the lion’s share, leaving tour operators scrambling for scraps.
Without the cruise lines involved, the operators themselves would set the market prices and take home more. Rather than being extorted by the cruise lines and the prices taht are set.
Absolute nonsense 3:08, the operator sets the price, if it’s too high the cruise lines will negotiate. The real problem is the next operator is more than willing to negotiate a lower price to take your business.
‘or to provide any meaningful guidance’
Spendy B, pleeeze, – you’ve been doing that since you got elected, time to take a break…
I supported the cruise port a few years ago.
Since then, I’ve regularly snorkeled at Eden Rock.
You ever watch Avatar and see how they felt connected to their spirit tree? That’s how I feel when I go to Eden now.
Please don’t build the port – save Eden!
Suppose you build piers so bigger ships can berth. Why is the elephant in the room not being addressed? Where will all these people go? Town is already congested and you want to make it worse?
Yup. That’s what the last set of studies said. Cayman would be better off spending the money to improve the land-side cruise tourist experience than building docks. But remember, we don’t want no proper assessments to base a decision on. Noooo. Now we want a referendum on a random question still to be made up.
I would love to see some numbers to help make an educated decision.
How many water sports operations are locally owned?
How many Caymanians work in cruise related jobs and how many work permit holders?
Should be easy to calculate this. It is a combination of data between DCI and CBC. I can do the calculation if you give me access to the data.
90% WP holders that work for businesses owned by Caymanians.
Cause Caymanians won’t work those jobs! Better pay from CIG to sit and type stupid posts with no understanding of the issues.
Kenny Bryan made it clear that Cabinet was intent on approving a dredge operation somewhere. On the fantasy assumption that Cayman will host a population of over 250,000 by 2080. The only variable in their mind is on where the dredge machines will start the destruction. After that, dredging all of the islands can begin in earnest and we will be Bahamas.
We need to change the Elections Law to ban convicted criminals from office, enforce SIPL’s Nolan Principles, compel the Deputy Governor and Civil Service to deliver passing grade accounts (with full and proper accounting), suspend and investigate preferred developer access to decision making suites, remove bad actors from PACI, PLA, CPA. New large-scale infrastructure spending should be suspended until these corruption purges take place, needs and use cases are reviewed, and prosecution files are in the hands of the ACC.
6:22, We need to change the Elections Law so that people who have lived in the Cayman Islands for 15 years or more, and contributed so much to our society, have the right to vote.
As it stands now, there is such a small minority of people who live on these islands who can actually vote.
Also those who’ve lived in Cayman for more than 20 years, contributed immensely to our community, never committed a serious criminal offense should be able to run for political office. They certainly can’t do a worse job than the recent bunch we’ve had.
If they are legal…
On 15 years, apply for citizenship and status and vote.
11:07, Yeah, and get caught up in a costly bureaucratic nightmare.
Your Santorini dream holiday…and what you can REALLY expect: Never-ending lines of tourists queuing up in the baking heat for hours and packed narrow streets where you can barely move – no wonder locals have had enough
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13696969/santorini-greece-holiday-destination-queues-crowds.html
If you’re going to do this, may as well add more questions to the referendum including:
Development heights/storey limits on all waterside land.
Immigration/work permit caps
Ganja
Public Beach access
Relocating Gov House and creating large public beach on SMB
and thats just the start.
As to struggling biz due to falling cruise levels, the real issue is that the experience is poor for tourists due to traffic/overcrowding/lack of beach/cost of cocktail/etc
Why not grow some testicular fortitude and tell every cruise line to leave unless they renegotiate the deals with vendors/operators and go 2/3rds funds stay local, 1/3rd cruise line at least at a minimum…you’ll find that while some ships will stop calling, those that continue to call will have a much better experience for their guests and in the long run make more money
it’s really not rocket science
The original vote should never have been canceled Sec 70 lays out the requirements for a PIR – once those requirements arem et there is no mechanism within the Constitution that gives any government the power or ability to simply decide to not hold the constitution – the CPR group should have initiated legal proceedings to force the PPM to comply with their constitutional requirements and the fact that they never did is outrageous
OK, lookya- I propose that if the Referendum fails, then the government has failed and should therefore resign en-mass. Who with me on voting NO to this absurdity and ego inflating proposal???? We get a 2 for 1 special= 1 no vote will relieve us of the UPM debauchery and the port. Matter closed.
The cruise pier scheme again. Who is really behind this? It can’t be a few families in the business of selling trinkets, t-shirts and excursions. There is no way those types splash out the kind of incentive that keeps one elected government after another pushing for it so relentlessly. So who has this kind of hold over every elected government?
Dart does own several buildings in the area now, so there’s that.
A voting block that kenny wants to keep sweet.
You have no idea how delusional the GT merchant are they believe they still run these islands
That is obvious! The Kirkconnell family.
While I note that Cayman cruise visitors number is down, is it the case that the whole industry has completely recovered and overall numbers taking cruises is at pre pandemic levels? If not, then building a new dock is not going to help.
Global cost of living is increasing, covid is making a strong resurgence, and the experience offered here is tired and boring.
Watch a few YouTube videos on cruisers coming here for feedback.
Anyone against allowing us to vote on this is a totalitarian fool.
I agree, with two provisions. More than a quarter of the electorate signed a petition asking for the referendum, mainly because they were against it going ahead just on the government’s desire. So there’s a good reason to have it if this government is hell bent on increasing cruise tourism. The electorate should have the chance to have a say what they want cruise tourism to look like. In addition to the environmental factors, there are some significant quality of like issues a play. Not everything is about money. Let’s see what the voters want.
But why do it now instead of at next year’s general election. This issue has been kicked down the road for almost 20 years, so it isn’t so urgent that we need the added expense (which will most likely involve another public holiday and additional costs to employers) this year when it can be done for basically free next year. The other provision is that if we have this referendum and the voters say no, then that needs to end the issue once and for all. We don’t want another government to try and do it again in a few years because they don’t like the answer. I say bring it on!
Well, this should seal the UPM’s fate and they will fall like the PPM did.
Don’t even bother. We know it will be fixed in support of the new part so why waste our time?
Oh, let me be the first. NO!
Take my vote as “HELL TO THE NO” in advance, and same goes for Kenny in the next election.
I look forward to finally voting NO.
How many millions of public money will this government spend in their efforts to stuff the ballot boxes in favour of the new cruise terminal – I guess that will be determined by the quantum of kickbacks on offer.
Fix the dump first!!!
7:39, Don’t you understand, they simply don’t know how to fix it after 20 years of studying the issue.
I expect the ballot process will have all of the controls and integrity that are seen in Venezualan, Russian and N. Korean elections.
Oh no! It means the return of the Kirk Bots!
Great – given that government is going to go to all of the expense of a holding a referendum and that it would cost virtually nothing to add a few more questions – can we also have a referendum on other things like campaign finance reform to remove the influence of developers, population caps, prohibiting the election of politicians with criminal records, putting some meaningful teeth in our anti-corruption legislation, etc etc
Reducing MLA salaries and perks!! No to double dipping!
Bring it on. I cant wait to vote no.
Kenny wth are you doing?
You will cost your government members their seats at the polls
Something smells fishy again
Vote out Minister Bryan and the UPM government in 2025. They do not understand the principles of transparency and deserve the same fate as the PPM none can be trusted!
The PPM was just sent to the opposition bench. The UPM idiots need to be sent back home.
May as well add legalizing weed, gambling, billboards with Kenneth’s picture, and anything else so we only have to go referend one time.
If Kenny is pushing this idea, I think he might have already legalised weed in his mind.
Why waste time, money and resources?
They already know the answer!