Tag: cruise tourism
A ‘reberth’ of the cruise debate
Michelle Clark writes: It seems that the debate regarding cruise piers has opened once again. This is an emotive issue; there are many varied and nuanced sides to this, and I hope that any referendum question, and inevitably campaigning, addresses this. As a founding member of the Cruise Port Referendum movement, my intention was only […]
Bryan calls for cruise port vote at next elections
(CNS): Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan has said he would like to see a referendum on the idea of developing cruise port piers at the same time as people go to the polls for the general election in 2025 “to settle the question” once and for all. During his contribution to the budget debate on Monday, […]
PPM calls for cruise policy as numbers fall
(CNS): Opposition Leader Roy McTaggart (GTE) and his PPM colleague, Joey Hew (GTN), the deputy leader, took aim at the PACT Government this week for its failure to develop a cruise policy in the face of falling passenger numbers. Hew said that if Cayman is going to move out of the cruise business, it needs […]
Tour operators could get cash to create ‘unique’ trips
(CNS): Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan is hoping his Cabinet colleagues will support his ministry’s aim to put up to $3 million in the next budget to create a fund for generating new tours and attractions for cruise passengers. Bryan said the policy goal of ‘quality over quantity’ for the sector means Cayman must offer new, […]
PPM continues to push for cruise dock in port plans
(CNS): The opposition is again calling for a cruise berthing facility in George Town, despite the lack of public support for such a project and pushback against the idea when the PPM was in office. A grassroots campaign secured enough voters’ signatures in 2019 to trigger a people-initiated referendum, making it clear the public wanted […]
‘Quality over quantity’ cruise plan back on agenda
(CNS): After walking back the ‘quality over quantity’ idea recently and focusing on increasing the cruise visitor headcount, Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan has revealed plans that he said demonstrate that the government is still working towards that goal as part of its “reimagined cruise strategy”.
Tourism on road to recovery with one million visitors
(CNS): Official figures released by the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism show that 284,274 people vacationed here last year and 743,394 cruise passengers called at George Town port, as the tourism sector began recovering once the borders opened, cruise ships began returning and all restrictions were lifted by the summer. The figures for both sectors […]
5 ships in one day erodes ‘quality over quantity’ idea
(CNS): Commitments made early in the PACT administration by both Premier Wayne Panton and Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan to switch the focus of cruise tourism from quantity to quality were undermined Wednesday when five ships arrived in the George Town Harbour. Similarly, plans to spread calls across the week have failed to take root as […]
Peak-season visitors approach 2019 numbers
(CNS): The number of overnight visitors arriving in the Cayman Islands in October and November reached around 90% of the record-breaking numbers of 2019 before COVID-19 turned the tourism sector on its head. The recovery of tourism for the peak season means the year-end figures for 2022 are going to be far better than predicted, […]
Cruise lines still refuse to tender mega-ships
(CNS): The number of cruise passengers expected to visit the Cayman Islands in future years is predicted to drop significantly, Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan said following recent meetings with the cruise lines. Without a cruise berthing facility in George Town, Carnival and Royal Caribbean are still refusing to tender their larger ships, and as they […]
July visitors reached over 60% of pre-pandemic year
(CNS) The Cayman Islands welcomed 32,411 overnight visitors in July, which is 63% of the number in 2019, the record-breaking year before the COVID-19 pandemic closed local borders. Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan said that the original target for visitor numbers for the end of this year was 40% of the more than half a million […]
