Minister for Tourism Charles Clifford has stated that he believes this winter season Cayman’s tourism industry will perform relatively well and at least as good as it did last winter, despite the challenges.
The global financial crisis, which was just preceded by an aviation crisis, poses a challenge to tourism locally, regionally and globally.
‘We are well positioned to weather what has been described as the perfect storm,’ said Minister Clifford, referring to some of Cayman’s advantages, including its proximity to the US and additional airlift being made available through Cayman Airways this winter.
December through April is generally considered to be tourist high season in the Cayman Islands.
‘I believe that in every challenge there is opportunity,’ said Mr. Clifford, who has recently returned from attending the Caribbean Tourism Organisation’s annual business meetings and the annual Florida Caribbean Cruise Conference in Trinidad.
While there, Mr. Clifford attended a number of presentations by various companies such as Expedia.com, Travel & Leisure, Condé Nast, Modern Brides and Brides.com and he was a panelist on one of the forums on cruise tourism.
‘It is encouraging to hear that all of the recent research by those reputable companies on the US consumer behaviour and attitudes confirmed what our own research has told us.
‘That is that despite the challenging times consumers say that their vacation time is not a privilege but a right and they will take their vacations even if it means cutting back on some other non essential activities and projects.
‘That doesn’t mean that they are not searching for the best value for money. Of course they are, now more than ever. They may take shorter vacations and they have indicated that they will vacation closer to home.
‘That means that more US vacationers who would normally look to Europe for their vacation will look to destinations closer to home. The western Caribbean is a perfect choice and the Cayman Islands are well positioned to benefit from this,’ said the Minister.
This is the rationale for the government’s strategic decision to increase airlift from tourism markets for this winter season.
‘Hence the announcement, fully supported by our private sector, that in addition to Cayman Airways’ current tourism routes, CAL would be re-establishing service from Chicago and inaugurating service from Washington, DC for this winter season,’ said the Minister.
Airlift is also being increased elsewhere regionally, he explained.
‘Incidentally, we also learned while in Trinidad that Caribbean Airlines has also acquired additional equipment and will be increasing service into the eastern Caribbean for this winter season. Air Jamaica has also indicated that they are increasing frequency into Jamaica from their tourism markets.’
Key for Cayman’s success in the current threats to tourism – the global financial crisis – is Cayman Airways.
‘We are once again grateful that we have a national flag carrier that will take us through it and ensure that we have economic continuity.
‘No one is saying that CAL will definitely make a profit through this additional airlift although we hope to eventually do that as markets mature. But that is not the primary objective.
The primary objective is to ensure that our visitors and potential visitors have convenient, affordable and reliable air access to our country.’
The Minister stated that even if the flights are operating at 50 per cent load factor, the investment required by the government in subsidizing those flights pales in comparison to the economic contribution those visitors make to Cayman, once they are here.
‘There are many other Caribbean islands today that wished they had national flag carriers. They currently subsidize foreign carriers to provide the service but those foreign carriers cannot provide the guarantees for airlift that a national flag carrier can,’ he said.
Minister Clifford said he remains committed to a strong public/private sectors partnership to ensure that the tourism industry performs well this winter.
‘We must be bold and courageous during these times to maximise the benefits from the opportunities out there.’
Hotel and condo managers have indicated that overall they believe it will be a tough year ahead for Cayman’s tourism industry because of the global economic crisis.
Concerns included drop in demand for bookings, and the fact that those booked may still cancel going forward.
But, despite this, there was the optimism that airlift, including additional gateways from Cayman Airways, will encourage new tourists to the islands.
The Minister noted that while many other Caribbean destinations have seen their stayover tourism numbers declining during this difficult time, Cayman’s have been increasing. However, September this year, when Cayman was affected by a few storms that posed a threat, was the exception.
‘These storms no doubt had an impact on travel in September,’ he said.
Mr. Clifford
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