Tag: Marc Langevin

‘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”.

Housing crisis leaves workers in costly, cramped conditions
(CNS): The housing crisis in the Cayman Islands is leading to overseas low-paid workers living in costly but nevertheless unacceptable slum conditions, with some paying as much as $400 per month for a bunkbed in tiny apartments where even kitchens have been converted into bedrooms. CNS has received several reports about the cramped conditions some […]

New CITA board expects bumper high season
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Tourism Association has elected local watersports operator Troy Leacock as its new president, heading up a largely new board of directors. The sector faces the prospect of the busiest-ever winter season, as visitors are expected to flock back to the Cayman Islands after the border closure and pandemic-related restrictions decimated the […]

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 […]

Tourism lobby urges gov’t to drop COVID-restrictions
(CNS): Now that the United States has lifted its COVID-19 test requirement for air passengers, the local tourism lobby is urging the Cayman Islands Government to ease all of the restrictions on visitors here as well. The Cayman Islands Tourism Association said that if things like mandatory masks and testing are dropped, the sector will […]

Visitors returning but challenges still ahead
(CNS): The Cayman Islands’ tourism sector is beginning to recover in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with stay-over visitor arrivals in April reaching over 25,000, which is around 55% of 2019 numbers. But the signs of recovery are still beset with challenges, from airlift to the cost of living, according to both industry and […]

CITA: Recruitment bigger problem than COVID
(CNS): Just 24 hours after the tourism minister was standing in the Legislative Assembly making it clear to the private sector that his priority was to see far more Caymanians working in tourism and that they would not get permits while local people remained unemployed, the Cayman Islands Tourism Association was urging action on processing […]

CITA accuses PACT of stealing tourism hope
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Tourism Association (CITA) has said its members are “dismayed” by the announcement of the indefinite pause in the reopening plan and continued closure of the borders. Following the announcement yesterday that there will be no lifting of quarantine measures until the end of the year, the body representing private sector businesses […]

All stipend recipients must register with WORC
(CNS): Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan has announced a mandatory requirement for everyone receiving the tourism stipend to register by 16 August on the government job portal, JobsCayman, operated by Workforce Opportunities and Residency Cayman (WORC). This is so that tourism workers can be matched to the jobs that will be rolled out over the coming […]

Claims that tourism doesn’t pay is myth, says CITA
(CNS): According to a recent pay survey conducted by the Cayman Islands Tourism Association, even people working in the lowest paid jobs in their sector are all earning more than $14 per hour, which is much more that the current minimum wage. Stakeholders in the sector said at a recent CITA meeting that it is […]

CITA: Cayman needs summer opening plan now
(CNS): Tourism sector stakeholders say they need time to remobilize the sector well ahead of the high season and so the borders must reopen and begin welcoming albeit limited numbers of guests by the summer. This will enable the hospitality industry to be ready to receive more significant numbers later in the year and start […]