Minister goes to Jam to fact find for new bureau
At the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (L-R) Chief Officer Alan Jones, JBDC Manager Althea West-Myers, Deputy Chief Officer Tamara Ebanks, JBDC CEO Valerie Veira, Minister Joey Hew and JBDC Deputy CEO Harold Davis
(CNS): Commerce Minister Joey Hew made a fact-finding trip to Jamaica recently to see what he could learn from the neighbouring country about trade and investment that might help inform the creation of a new entity that promotes business opportunities here. Hew said, “We are looking at different models, including in the Caribbean region and particularly our neighbour Jamaica, to give us a better understanding of their successes and perhaps some of the challenges we may face when we start working on our intention to create a National Investment Bureau for the Cayman Islands.”
Hew and various government officials, including Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell and senior civil servants, visited the Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) and the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC). They met with JAMPRO President Diane Edwards and Vice President Claude Duncan.
“During our very cordial and welcoming meeting with Ms Edwards and Mr Duncan we received some helpful tips and a good insight into their programmes. We certainly came away much better informed,” Hew said.
At the JBDC Hew said he and ministry staff learned about the services it offers as the lead agency for the development of the business sector in Jamaica.
The JBDC is also an advisory body, helping produce business plans, offering training and information on how to fund business. The organisation has incorporated adaptations from entities such as the US-created Small Business Development Centre, which the Cayman Islands is planning to adapt in the coming months for the benefit of micro, small and medium business enterprises (MSMEs).
“We intend the services we offer to be long-term, relationship-based and to promote business development programmes that will foster economic growth of the entire islands but more importantly micro, small and medium business entrepreneurs, who are a vital segment in the Cayman Islands’ success,” Hew said
The Jamaican visit was part of a broader two-day courtesy ministerial visit led by Deputy Premier Kirkconnell, which also included a visit to the Indian High Commission in Jamaica.
Category: Business
Wouldn’t it be wiser to obtain workers from eastern Europe? I’ve noticed that Royal Caribbean has a large number of Ukrainian crew members. I frankly enjoyed interacting with them more than the Asians crews on other cruises I’ve been on, although I liked interacting with them as well. Cayman’s main draw is that it is culturally more like Europe, Canada, and the USA than other Caribbean tourist destinations. That is a aspect that the CIG should preserve and encourage. I don’t really see how engaging with Jamaica does that.
Sounds like the DoT is just looking to offload some more work so they have to do even less than they do now for the Cayman tourism product! Kudos to them. I guess the adage of “work smart, not more” is apropos in this case.
Jamaica is so bad but….
A record 4.3 million combined stopover and cruise tourists visited Jamaica in 2017. This, according to Bartlett represents a 12.1 per cent increase over arrivals in 2016.
“It is the first time that we brought more than 500,000 additional visitors and near US$500million more in a single calendar year,” he noted.
Cayman, when you can near these type of numbers and people can know of your country besides it being a tax haven, then you can criticize Jamaica. Your small dot in the Caribbean sea needs foreign workers to survive. If every foreigner left Cayman tomorrow, you all would be up shit creak. The small number of sensible Caymanians can admit this truth.
Here we go again. This was done a few years back with another “government” group. A number of initiatives were implemented following the visit to Jamaica and then this same government that we have removed/stopped some of these initiatives. Now they are spending our hard earned money to go back to Jamaica to start the process all over again. OMG when will this madness of spending the country’s money unnecessarily stop. By the way to the “haters” out there please know that the Jamaican Business Development Corp is way ahead of what we have here and well worth visiting and collaborating with.
They are only trying to make Cayman population bigger by making sure that they are getting the best Jamaicans for Cayman .
I think we have enough legal and illegal jamacians on the islands already.
Just wakening up from my slumber…what y’all saying Jamaica for trade and investment??? What is the minister thinking??? This country’s dollar is so low that it’s hard for them to obtain the benefits from lending banks. What a waste of tax payers money. Really now, all those persons in the pic had to go. Betcha all of them put together couldn’t even write a synopsis of the meetings held.
Let me go back to sleep my head hurts with so much ignorance around me!
This is the most absurd article I have read in a very short while. Travel to Jamaica from both the USA and Canada governments is highly warned against. The tourism boards are both warning its citizens not to travel to Jamaica. Are you kidding? With the crime so far in 2018 in Cayman and this type of partnership, it is not far out of the realm of possibility that visitors to Cayman could see the same warning. This is definitely a partnership that should not be entered into lightly, if at all.
Ironically, Bill Clinton and friends were vacationing in Montego Bay just last week, even with travel advisories from the US so what makes our Ministers so special that they can’t go to big, bad Jamaica?!
Well to start, I am sure Bill Clinton and his rich cronies were not staying where the average tourist would be staying or going. Jamaica has some really, really tremendous places, behind gates and with gun toting security. That is an unfair comparison.
As for our Caymanian Ministers, they can do and go where they please. I am sure they are on the same budget, thanks to taxpayers, as Clinton.
Another free trip for our public servants! And in addition, how many people know there are also over 15 on a freebie to Canada as well, led by Franz Manderson. How much will that cost? And we know it won’t make a damn bit of difference back here in Cayman.
I do not know what is wrong with this government first the Minister of Tourism wants Cayman to be associated with that high crime ridden island and looking to market CI and Jamaica now this joker. Stop passing the stuff around in Cabinet it is too strong you are impaired. Cut this nonsense out.
Go to Singapore, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, and Dublin for inspiration Joey! That is who we should be emulating. Any politician that thinks we should follow Jamaica’s example automatically loses my vote.
Is this a joke?
Great to see someone in government thinking about how to boost the economy. Most of our competitors have agencies that promote inward investment, it is high time we had one so that investors aren’t scared away by the first bureaucrat they have to deal with.
Re the creation of “jobs for Caymanians”, every job created helps Caymanians one way or another. We already have twice as many jobs as people so a lack of jobs is not the problem. But even if held by a permit holder it is a job in the bank that our children and their children will have the opportunity to have in the future. In the meantime we benefit from the work permit fees (that pay for our kids’ education) and the money that person spends in the stores, restaurants, rent etc.
The idea that inward investment is worthless if it doesn’t create X number of jobs for unemployed Caymanians is incredibly short sighted. We can’t attract the businesses we need to diversify the economy by loading them up with unrealistic conditions (or people that no one else will hire). Instead let’s get them here first, help them succeed and at the same time talk to them about how they can create high quality opportunities for Caymanians in the medium to long term.
I hate to say it, but Bermuda does a great job spinning itself.
Our politicians must not read the news getting advice from foreign institutions with systemic corruption issues Wow! I guess its all Fake News now according to them.The problem is unfortunately Corruption like most viruses is quiet Contagious
To a place where they had to lock down tourist resorts because of serious crime to get advice? This doesn’t bode well or make sense for us at all Cayman! Stop wasting government money Councilor Hew and company.
Jamaicans number one export: Scamming the elderly in Flordida…we have so much to learn….not.
Sometimes its all about the people and sometimes its all about a free vacation for a person. Face it Cayman it’s a perk. One of the many you pay for. Maybe he will share pictures on facebook?
I wonder if he will have time to go bird hunting while he is there, apparently it’s hunting season now and he is an avid hunter
a made up jolly that mac would be proud of…….zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Jamaica? Jamaica???? Whose idiotic idea was it to look to Jamaica for a model for success. The ultimate contradiction in terms!! My suggestion if I may? Do the opposite of Jamaica.
Is this the same Joey Hew, who snobs his own intelligent, educated, informed Caymanians? Embrace and promote your OWN.
Well, remember, he is half Jamaican.
Idiot.
Joey Who is clueless
Barbados
I can think of better models….
Then please name the better models so they can be considered….
If you don’t know where they are, then you have no idea what goes on in the world around you and it would be a waste of time to tell you.
Take a map. Blindfold yourself. Throw a dart at it. Wherever that dart lands will probably be a much better place to start.
Perhaps he should have gone to Singapore? That would make more sense. Just hoping it will not require any more work permits. Joey just make sure you stay safe while you are there .
Spending money and time to follow the Jamaican economic model is an excellent idea for these islands. Let’s up it mirrors their results as soon as possible.
Are you being sarcastic or just high?
7:43 am, we have too many of their models here that should be flushed.
ohhh man Joey….why would you want advice from a country riddled with crime and it so bad that they have to lock down a parish y call in army to try control it????? a country that carnival cruise lines pulled out from because of crime???? ??why?
because sometimes you can learn something from the Devil sometime the shutdown of a parish is needed to create and control the situation before it spreads if you have a bruise on your body it don’t let it stay there until it spread all over your body are contained in one section dumbass
We are not talking about a boil we are talking about trying to get good data from a country that has created a huge mess of itself. Jamaica back in the had much to offer but right now I believe the only thing we can learn is ” please do not follow us at any. Cost” . Joey you should go talk with the american embassy while you are there and ask them if they could set up office here once or twice a year so the rest of us won’t have to visit the embassy there. Now that would be money well spent.
Well, with all of Jamaica’s issues (crime & poverty etc.), it still remains one of the most visited tourist destinations in the Caribbean. It is also the most popular Caribbean island for whatever reason. Maybe Cayman is curious as to how they accomplish this despite the reasons outlined. Cayman no longer has its culture where as JA, with her many flaws are filled with tourist attractions and the culture of the island still so vibrant. Tourists love and appreciate this and tend to overlook the bad that is going on. Jamaica is a beautiful country; it’s the people who are ruining it. This is not a bad idea if you open your mind.
10:02 am, that’s why the crime is increasing here. Too many of these criminals are filtering in and contaminating this place. They do not adapt to change, they litter and make a mess wherever they live.
Jamaica accomplished vibrant tourism product by putting their own people in the forefront and their people responds by jumping on board- think that might happen here. Waiting with baited breath.
Aha! Now there is something Cayman can learn from Jamaica. Hire your own Caymanians in the hotels, restaurants etc. I’ve been to several places on island over the last month and I was not serviced by a single Caymanian. Not one person I dealt with, can offer any history about the island or make any suggestions on where to go to see a bit of Caymanian culture, sample local food etc (not like much is left). Guaranteed, in Jamaica you are interacting with their own ppl from the airport to everywhere you go.
Weed.
West Bay should had lock down long time!
Will the creation of this bureau result in hiring Caymanians??? Or will we be bringing “experts” on a temporary basis; that will never leave?!
Actually, this is one entity where I’d support the ‘advisers’ being fixed-term non-Caymanians. The whole point of this entity is to find ways to improve Cayman owner/operator commerce so bring people in for their knowledge, use it, and then get a new set of ideas in. Like JAMPRO which, IIRC, does a decent job of supporting small scale manufacture, e.g., pepper jelly production, getting it to the level (production quality) middle class consumers expect. (Properly sealed bottles, etc.) There is a science to these things. Cayman has some people operating at that level (to stick with my pepper jelly example) but others who could be more productive with some upskilling by visiting experts. Maybe next could be someone with a UK Bed-n-Breakfast background. Its a big market there and relatively untapped here though those doing it show it can be lucrative.
What a waste of time and money!
Oh you wicked people. Our wonderful unity government is trying to get us more going and all I see are nasty comments. Thank you wonderful premier and the fantastic unity team. Please put honorable Bush out there to. We love you. Four more years!
You can have them for 4 more years after we vote them out