Tourism leaders have launched a ‘Reopen Cayman’ campaign in an effort to convince the public and the government that a clear plan is needed to restart the industry.
A website launched Tuesday featuring information on proposals from the industry for a low-risk strategy to welcome back visitors.
It also features personal stories of Caymanians and local businesses who are suffering during the pandemic, as well as information and data on similar jurisdictions that have re-opened tourism without experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Michael Tibbetts, the owner of Clearly Cayman dive resorts which has operations on all three islands, and Kel Thompson, owner of the Wyndham Reef Resort in East End, are leading the initiative.
Tibbetts, who is also a medical doctor, said the aim was to counter what he sees as a false narrative that Cayman can cope without tourism.
He said he is concerned that people do not appreciate the true value of the sector to the island’s economy.
Tibbetts, who was voted vice-president of the Cayman Islands Tourism Association last week, also warned that the absence of a plan and a realistic timeline for reopening would impact the industry way beyond the next few months.
“We are not saying that we need to open up today, or even in January,” he said, “but there needs to be a plan for how and when that is going to happen.
“We need a path to reopening because without that we are all in limbo. We are already losing bookings through to the middle of the next year because people don’t know if they are going to be able to get here.”
Long-term impact
Longer term, he said, the island could lose market share to countries that had reopened.
“There is a percentage of visitors that are extremely loyal to Cayman but we shouldn’t take that for granted. There are a lot of other great destinations and guests are opting to go elsewhere because they see those islands are either open already and have a plan to reopen safely.”
Part of the aim of the website will be to counter the impression that it is a simple question of dollars versus lives.
Tibbetts highlighted that Bermuda has had fewer COVID-19 cases than Cayman and no community transmission, despite being open to tourists, and has had a rigorous testing and tracing programme since July. He said other destinations had achieved similar results and their methods and policies would be outlined on the site.
“What we are trying to do is a public education campaign so that people understand the level of risk and that we can make decisions based on science and not on emotion,” he said.
He added that it was a mistake to think that Caymanians were not involved in the tourism industry or impacted by its collapse.
Aside from direct employment, he said, there is an entire eco-system of businesses, suppliers and government companies, including Cayman Airways, the Cayman Turtle Centre and the Cayman Islands Airports Authority, that are utterly reliant on tourism and currently being heavily subsidised.
And he warned that there would be a knock-on effect for other sectors too, if there proves to be long-term damage.
He highlighted construction and real estate as two areas that could suffer the trickle-down impact of a decline in tourism.
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Hmm. Read the plan. The testing protocol is the same as the one in place in kaua’i since Oct 15 (an island In Hawaii with no spread since July and no deaths). They’re going to stop air arrivals starting Dec 1 due to new community spread (58 cases) and their first death: http://www.thegardenisland.com. Bermuda now has its first 10 person community-spread cluster since July, with an infant as the youngest case, and have always had mask mandates and social distancing and work from home since March: http://www.royalgazette.com. There will be trade-offs to masks and social distancing. This may be acceptable, it is not for me to choose but for our government, but their plan will not allow Cayman to have the same mask less, social-distancing, back to normal life that were used to now.
I agree with the sentiment of the article. I am a US citizen who has been to Cayman over a half dozen times, each time for a week. We love it there, but if there is no re-opening plan in sight, or it is a stupid plan for re-opening, we will just go somewhere else . There are plenty of nice beaches in the Caribbean.
I have friends that used to be owners. They want to come for 3 months Jan-Mar and have no problem with the 2 week quarantine. They found a condo to rent for the 3 months. They were told 2 weeks ago that they could not come because they are not owners. How stupid is that. They will spend money and support the county. Anyone that is willing to quarantine for the 2 weeks should be allowed to come
Please do read the plan: https://reopencayman.com/reopen-plan/
The protocol is more rigorous than both Kaua’i and Bermuda with the requirement for pre-arrival, on-arrival and post-arrival testing, testing of employees, geo-fencing within a resort or other designated accommodations. In a second phase, there is the potential to expand access to approved attractions and restaurants under strict conditions after 3 negative PCR tests.
Kaua’i only required a pre-arrival test and is now opting for both a pre-arrival and post-arrival test: https://www.thegardenisland.com/2020/11/26/hawaii-news/kauai-county-council-backs-mayor-on-covid/
“One of the major concerns Councilmember Luke Evslin had is that the current one-test pre-test is not science-based, whereas a two-test system has been proven to catch more cases.”
The small cluster of cases in Bermuda was unfortunately seeded by returning residents working at a hospital and not by stay over visitors:
https://www.caribbeannationalweekly.com/caribbean-breaking-news-featured/bermudas-premier-fumes-over-covid-19-baby-case/
“Wilson said that one of the new cases was a returning resident who arrived on a Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta last Sunday. Three were transmitted on-island with a known contact — one had household contact with an under-investigation case linked to a workplace. The other two were residents who had close contact in the same household as a case linked to the same workplace.”
We can continue to learn from other islands that have developed reopening plans:
https://www.travelweekly.com/Caribbean-Travel/Caribbean-readies-for-a-wave-of-reopenings
It’s important and realistic to remember, this is a virus, and very much like the flu, it will never really go away. No vaccine will ever be 100% effective, as the virus will continue to mutate and change. There will always be cases of Covid. It may be past time to address this, accept this, and work with it for the survival of Cayman’s businesses and economy. There are most definitely measures that can be put into to place to curb the spread, and I believe Mr. Tibbetts plan is as good as it gets. We can’t wait to come back to our beloved Cayman, but a two week quarantine would be our entire holiday, so we may not be able to visit again if the goal is a 0% Covid case future. That is a hard reality to accept. You simply can’t open the borders without the possibility of Covid coming for a visit too. My family eagerly anticipates the island’s next move, and remain hopeful a plan comes into place that we may come back again very soon.
Of course if the approved vaccine comes out next month, it may certainly change the mindset of what kind of restrictions are put into place for visitors. Either way, we agree with Mr. Tibbetts in the need to move forward before it is too late for the welfare of the people of Cayman Islands and its businesses.
Let us not listen to Americans. Clearly, their logic is faulty and common sense rarely exists among them.
If you cannot afford to come to the island and quarantine for two weeks or adhere to certain restrictions without whining, go somewhere else.
While tourism is great, there is an entire residential and local population here who actually care about each other’s well being and the lives of our neighbours – yes, shockingly, this includes the elderly and those who are unwell. Your desire to frolic freely on the beach does not outweigh the importance of our desire to live.
Anne K. ; As a Cayman resident myself, born in the US and a child of two Bracers I’m pretty tired of hearing yours and others hate towards the US. Clearly your logic, faulty and common sense have escaped you. This spread of resentment doesn’t help in assuring travelers a safe and peaceful visit.
For Anne K:
As a Cayman supporter, activist and defender, I 100% agree that NO ONE should take up Cayman’s generous offer of visiting under a 2 week quarantine rule only to break it in a selfishly motivated way to gain access to the island. This is done at the expense of the Government who allowed them to be there, and at the health of the islands citizens. It is disgraceful.
As an American, I can’t help but feel your rude accusations should not be so generalized. Many more visitors are very well aware of the risks of the health of the people, BUT they are also very well aware of the economic state of the island without tourists. This is particularly evident in the restaurants, George Town shops, and from what I’ve read recently, Divers organizations. Your accusations make it sound as if Americans are only coming to the island for their own selfish reasons. I can confidently say, that extended stay tourists feel such a connection to the island itself (reason alone we invest all the time and money into yearly visits) that we are desperate to do whatever we can to help. And if that way is by staying and contributing what we can by visiting tourist sites, restaurants, shops and diving, then that is what we want to do. It’s a win-win.
We are all not nearly the idiots you think we are.
Pre Departure and On Arrival screening will do nothing to protect the community given the up 14 day incubation period of this virus. If the wishes of the CITA were granted we will end up in lockdowns once again in just a matter of weeks. We will be just like Bermuda is now.
https://www.caymancompass.com/2020/12/10/bermuda-facing-second-wave-of-covid-19/?source=email&position=bs3&location=picture