Cruise vote vital, Chamber says, while raising concerns
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce believes the local business community, especially retailers, has a vested interest in the outcome of the referendum on a cruise port that the government is proposing to hold later this year, given its potential economic impact. But while the business advocacy group believes such a vote is vital, it is raising concerns about the timing of the referendum and the lack of a specific plan for voters to evaluate.
“Without a clear project proposal, businesses may find it challenging to decide on the broader question of cruise berthing,” the Chamber said in a recent newsletter. The business body had offered its support to the project the PPM-led administration was promoting in conjunction with the cruise lines in 2019, which, post-COVID, most people now agree would have been disastrous.
However, even though there is no current project and therefore no urgency, Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan wants to hold a vote five months before the next general election instead of holding them both simultaneously, which would be much less costly. This is leading to rising concern — and not just from those who have consistently campaigned against a dock. Even those in favour of a pier appear suspicious about the approach this current Cabinet has agreed upon.
“Cruise tourism is a vital sector, contributing significantly to the local economy, particularly in retail, hospitality, and transportation,” the Chamber stated. However, the data and anecdotal evidence of many people working in tourism, including business owners, have raised questions about how significant cruise tourism really is to the economy.
The Chamber also noted that the development of cruise berthing facilities raises concerns about environmental sustainability, the impact on local infrastructure, and the long-term vision for tourism in the Cayman Islands.
“The Chamber of Commerce acknowledges these complexities and encourages all businesses to consider the referendum’s implications carefully. Business owners, operators, and employees must engage in informed discussions within their organizations and in public forums. By doing so, the business community can ensure that its voice is heard and that the economic realities of any future cruise berthing project are fully understood,” the organisation stated.
Offering support to the principle of public consultation, the Chamber said there are concerns about the timing of the referendum, which is now likely to be set for November, though the minister had previously stated it could be in October.
“With just a few months before the vote, there is limited time for comprehensive public education and debate. This compressed timeline may hinder the ability of businesses and the public to fully understand the potential benefits and drawbacks of cruise berthing, particularly in the absence of a detailed plan.
“Despite these concerns, the Chamber stresses the importance of participation in the referendum. Voting is a fundamental way for businesses and individuals to influence the future direction of the Cayman Islands. Whether in favour of or against cruise berthing, casting a vote ensures that the business community’s perspective is represented in the outcome,” the newsletter stated.
“By staying informed, sharing opinions, and voting in the referendum, the business community can help guide the Cayman Islands towards a sustainable and prosperous future,” the Chamber said. “For the local business community, this referendum is a significant moment that calls for active participation and informed decision-making. The Chamber of Commerce urges its members and the broader business community to engage in the process, share their opinions, and, most importantly, exercise their right to vote.”
Minister Bryan has promised that information about the cruise sector and what Cayman could lose if it does not cater to the leading cruise lines’ demands for a pier will be released shortly so that people can see what a decrease in cruise ship numbers would lead to.
He has stated on a number of occasions that the referendum will be a very simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question asking if voters want a pier. Bryan has implied that voting ‘no’ would be an end to the entire cruise business, a point that is disputed, given the many smaller ships plying the Caribbean and the fact that the industry continues to change.
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Ok, real substantive comment first. The Chamber is misguided here. “The business community” does not “help guide the Cayman Islands” through referenda. Referenda are for *registered voters* to provide this guidance (which, remember, is non-binding for a Government-intiated referendum). It is individual Caymanians who are entitled to vote in the Cayman Islands and have chosen to register to vote that get to (maybe) influence policy in this referendum.
A referendum is (ostensibly) a democratic exercise for *the people* the help guide government policy. (Side note: I recognise a whole lot of “the people” living in Cayman are not qualified to register to vote. That is not directly relevant to my point here but I recognise how it impacts whether our legislature and referenda are truly “democratic” from all perspectives.)
Businesses can *lobby* to influence government policy, including through their representative groups and associations. The Chamber of Commerce is just one group representing *business interests* which are, by definition, not the interests of the people who are entitled to vote and to, thereby, (maybe) influence policy. Businesses do not “vote in the referendum”. Individuals do.
Businesses have their business interests. Voters have their own individual interests.
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. And now, what I really came here to say… juss let us have a nex public holiday, nuh!
“Cruise tourism is a vital sector, contributing significantly to the local economy, particularly in retail, hospitality, and transportation,” the Chamber stated.
That is not correct Chamber. You, if anyone, should know that and have the facts. It’s contribution to Cayman’s economy is negligible. It’s an environmental disaster, employes minimum wage non-Caymanians, exports most of the revenue to the foreign cruise operators with the next layer going to a few Caymanian family cartels.
It’s quite telling that so far (at the time I am writing this) there are 16 Comments in response to this article on CNS, by and large sounding as if they are against cruise berthing, and yet NOT ONE of the authors of those Comments had the confidence in their positions nor the courage of their convictions to put their name to the strident Comments they made!
If you really believe in what you said and can back it up with facts and figures, and if you really believe the best choice for the rest of us and the government is to go in the direction you are pointing, then why are you hiding behind anonymity?
Insubordination!
The failing Turtle Slaughter Center needs cruise sheep. That’s about it.
Anonymous commentary is essential in a small community where many people cannot afford to be in CIG’s cross hairs.
You on the other hand have a vested reason to put your name to your comment. To curry favour is to keep your job.
Cruise tourism is OK IF there is a cap on numbers and we cater to the up-market boats.
We have more hotels than ever so there is no shortage of tourists.
I agree. With the opening of Indigo and the upcoming openings of the Grand Hyatt and Curio Collection by Hilton, and whatever Dart builds on its other SMB lands in the future, Cayman needs to concentrate on stay-over visitors. Back around 2000, Cayman got just over 1 million cruise visitors and no one complained. Last year, we had 1.27 million and it’s a big problem because the big merchants like Kirkconnell and Dart aren’t making enough money. Mass cruise tourism degrades the tourism experience for the more lucrative stay-over visitor and negatively affects the quality of life for residents. Then there’s the negative environmental impacts of building cruise ship piers, plus the high expense of doing so when Cayman needs so many other expensive infrastructure improvements. I hope voters are sensible enough to reject cruise tourism whenever this ill-conceived referendum is held.
No to pier boondoggles and port fiascos. Cruise ships will still come. The FCCA lobbyists only play one tune, and it’s not the truth.
Dont forget the Brac. There is still vacant spots along the beach in Watering Place for a cruise port.
investing in Fintech and stay over tourism will have a much better ROI than destroying your infrastructure for the $5 T-shirt and keychain crowd.
Everyone can see this except for those that are clearly on FCCA’s payroll.
The cruise dock is all about subsidising millionaires with business interests adjacent to Hog Sty Bay.
The entire cruise industry survives off the Walmart Model where local governments are cajoled into providing services and facilities in return for very little community benefit.
Minister Bryan is wasting public monies and seems to be working for the cruise lines
Didn’t Kenny learn anything from the PPM disaster the last time they lied to the country about cruise tourism?
How is cruise berthing a national priority for this government?
Time to vote all the pirates in this government and PPM out of politics.
Dumb people don’t learn well.
RECKLESS GOVERNMENT – ALL OF THEM – WASTING ANOTHER $1.2M
A referendum 4 months before the General Election.
The Minister of Tourism and Ports, the Hon Kenneth Bryan announced that the Government will hold a government-initiated referendum on the matter of cruise berthing before the end of 2024.
If we ever needed proof that Kenneth’s priority is taking care of his donors, this is it. Worse, this is fully endorsed by Judasanna, Andre Ebanks, Kathy-Ann Wilks, Sabrinata Turner and Heather Bodden. They have all agreed to this stupidity.
First, let’s consider what a referendum is and when its used, then let’s decide what else might have been a better question for referendum and lastly, let’s decide if we needed to spend the money now.
What is a referendum?
• The process or principle of referring an important political question, e.g. proposed constitutional change, to be decided by a general vote of the electorate – Oxford English Dictionary
• A general vote by the electorate on a single political question that has been referred to them for a direct decision.
• A referendum is where voters are asked to make a “Yes” or “No” decision on a proposal, issue, or idea. – Electionbuddy.com
• The principle or practice of submitting to popular vote a measure passed on or proposed by a legislative body or by popular initiative – Merriam Webster
• A vote in which all the people in a country or an area are asked to give their opinion about or decide an important political or social question – Cambridge Dictionary
Based on these definitions, it seems that a referendum is an important tool in the democratic process and gives the electorate direct say in pivotal decisions. A referendum requires the same set up and logistics as an election, t is an expensive and complex undertaking, and one that is typically reserved for matters of national importance
However, of all the issues and opportunities facing us as a people – from housing to immigration to the CUC monopoly to restricting foreigners from buying land and property – how the hell did cruise berthing become THE topic of a referendum? What exactly are we being asked to decide? Why now?
On Thursday, August 8th the Cayman Compass reported Minister Bryan as saying “There’s no project; there’s no driving force. This is just simply, we need to know where the people stand with the cruise industry to know what direction to take,” Bryan told the Cayman Compass on Tuesday {August 6th} y as reported by the Compass on August 8th.
Using the Minister’s own words, this is clearly NOT an urgent or pressing issue that warrants spending another $1.2 Million dollars on a referendum. FFS Kennef, who are you working for? Not the Caymanian people! You are a political prostitute – doing the bidding of whoever gave you or promised you your next big ‘donation’.
It is irresponsible to spend $1.2M on a referendum some 20 weeks before the next general election.
But, if you, your Premier and the rest of your Caucus are determined to waste our money by holding a referendum, then here is the question to ask:
“Caymanian voters, do you want to reverse the system of one man one vote and replace it with a system of national elections ?”
Or
“Caymanian voters, do you support requiring full transparency of all donations to MPs for 12 months before an election and for the entire time they hold office?”
Or
“Caymanian Voter, do you believe that Government should invest in utility scale solar electricity generation and lower the cost of electricity for all?”
Or
“Caymanian voters, do you think Government should continue to pump $10Million dollars a year into the Cayman Turtle Farm, which continues to lose money and is unable to repay its debt?”
Minister Kenneth: your handlers are showing
Pemier Julianna: your greedy, power-hungry stay- in- power at all costs true colours are showing.
Caymanians use your power. Vote them out.
Juliana and Andre knows better, which makes them complicit, the rest are just stupid.
No! I vote no! Too much downside with massive cruise ships and their demands. Let’s focus on improving the experience for stay over visitors and residents. And especially Caymanians.
We have a sense of the importance of cruise tourism to the economy. 3,200 Caymanians received the tourism stipend, so that’s the upper bound. Many of those workers were in stayover hospitality. Some (eg taxis) serve both cruise and stayover tourists. But this shows that the 4,500 number shared by Moses Kirkconnell in support of cruise berthing in 2019 was questionable (to be fair, he didn’t say Caymanians, he said “people”). https://www.caymancompass.com/2019/12/01/tourism-minister-moses-kirkconnell-makes-his-case-for-cruise-piers/
Since cruise tourism has already declined, we should already be seeing the adverse economic impact. Are we? It seems not. Kenny and the UPM would the first to say that unemployment is low and the economy is growing. So what’s the problem that cruise berthing solves? A slow death? As long as it is a slow death, where Caymanian workers have a chance to gradually bail to other more productive sectors, that doesn’t seem too bad a fate.
My concern would be our capacity to house the number of foreign workers required for a project of this scale (surely in the many 100’s), the pressure this would put on the housing market (and thus cost of living) and what other sectors could do with that capacity.
Yes, 3,200 received Covid stipends.
Wè know some of the people receiving Covid stipends were not Caymanians, government never released that information.
Secrets, secrets.
What the Chamber appears to be politely saying is:
The question appears to be inconclusive/flawed, and the process is disenfranchising voters. Not to mention a colossal waste of money!
Caymanians, do not be fooled by incompetent and deceitful leaders.
As is often the case, Kenneth is lying.
As is ALWAYS the case, he doesn’t understand the economy.
He, Julianna, Jonjon and their band of self serving MPs are only looking out for themselves and the rich people who fund them. Andre, Sabrina, Kathy – how do you allow this to happen? You are all culpable in this waste of money.
Insisting on spending a million dollars on a referendum to ask about cruise berthing is absurd. We do not have an economic development plan.
Starting in some random point in the middle is a sure way to get the answer wrong. Start at the beginning.
The country. What is our vision for this country?
And then, what is our vision for the economy, the people, the environment?
Now, let’s look at the Economy. What do we need from our economy?
-Revenue for Government?
-Jobs for Caymanians?
-Opportunities for Caymanian business owners to expand?
-Opportunities for new Caymanian businesses?
Which industries can give us those benefits and at what costs? Can we get those benefits elsewhere and at a lower financial cost that investing in cruise berthing?
What choices do we have? Do the work of analysing other options.
Because it is wrong and deceitful to suggest that if we don’t have cruise berthing those jobs and that revenue will disappear and there is no alternative.
We CAN have a cruise industry without cruise berthing.
Maybe the Hamaty children and the children of other cruise merchants won’t make as many millions as they had hoped to make, but they will still be alright and their children will still be alright. They are already millionaires and better off than most Caymanians.
Caymanians, don’t be fooled. The question is not whether we want cruise berthing or not.
The question is how do we shape this economy to best serve our people? Which industries can generate the greatest benefits for Caymanians, today and in the future, without saddling the Government with debt or destroying our quality of life.
Asking about cruise berthing is _ssbackwards and upside down Kenneth.
It’s not about cruise berthing, so don’t waste our money and our time with this referendum.
We don’t need no stinkin’ cruise ships
maybe we don’t need no stayover tourists or their big dirty hotels and their dirty airline travel????
soundbites offer nothing.
If the government(s) continue to ignore the higgling at Public Beach, then I am voting no, as it will be the only way to put an end to this disgusting practice once and for all.
I’m only voting for it if the gay cruises are allowed.
In keeping with Cayman Kind, it should be Gay Cruises Only.
The Gayman Islands has a nice ring to it.
There have been multiple since that uproar, almost three decades ago.
They just slip right in, unannounced.
Your three decade point would be salient – if the intervening three decades was not filled to the brim with examples and attempts to make gay people feel unwelcome or ostracised in other ways
There are more LGBTQ people here than ever before. We have multiple organizations on island that represent them. We have pride parades. We allow same-sex unions.
Is there proper 1:1 equality? Definitely not, however it is irrefutable that things are better than they were three decades ago. Truthfully we probably won’t have that equality (considering we are a “christian” island, whatever that foolishness means) until the death of the bigoted dinosaurs that still walk amongst the rest of us sensible, caring Caymanians.
Absolutly not.
I’m the only gay in the village just as i was in Llanddewi Brefi.
You know what CIG needs to release? The recent minimum wage report – and follow its recommendations.
That minimum Wage report.. like the first one, is a shameful slave minded tragedy in daily execution, to the detriment of all, esp kids seeking entry level jobs with Liveable Wages.
in the chamber i trust.
Remind me: Who’s the Chamber president? Oh, I remember! It’s the Chief of Staff of Dart, which owns many of the waterfront stores that need cruise visitors to make big profits. She’s not conflicted in this at all, so let’s trust the Chamber on this issue.
No weed no port.
“Minister Bryan has promised that information about the cruise sector and what Cayman could lose if it does not cater to the leading cruise lines’ demands for a pier ….”
Cruise lines’ demands.. That should tell us most of what we need to choose what is best for the most of us.
We are apparently the product being sold by the cruise lines. What do we get for it? Do those benefits balance the congeested traffic, litter and environmental damage?
I agree that this Minister should listen to the Chamber and voters st large on this issue. Show us the plan, what size ships we will be catering to, as well as what amenities are being developed for visitors to enjoy ( for a fee of course) to enhance the the island. Kenneth, While I am not a tourism specialist I do believe that you should stop being so pig- headed and listen to what the Chamber and other entities and informed persons are trying to tell you. This is not your private cruise birthing facility and we the people who will be footing the bill are imploring you to get yourself off your high horse and listen. We won’t mind if after you have made the plan public and we agree with itif you take the credit. You are not providing any details yet expect us to vote on this. Suppose the referendum fails, then what will you do? Wring your hands and opine? This is too huge of an undertaking for you to screw it up and I am hoping there are enough of us intelligent enough to vote against your referendum if you continue to refuse to get your act together and come up with the details, all of the details. Let me remind you again that you will be messing with our money! Another thing the majority of we the people do not think that you are doing a good job, you screwed up the Barbados escapade, we told you it was a non starter, you allowed your minions to destroy our beautiful public beach by turning it in to a higglers’ retreat. Get your head out of the sand and pay attention to professionals for a change.
He is stubborn ill informed and does not understand what really drives the economy. He is following the demands of donors not the majority!
If we had told the cruiselines where to stick their “demands” years ago we would be in a much better place now… it’s not too late to tell them (and Kenny too) where to stick them now though.