Focus on stayover tourists

Although my husband and I are US citizens, we are permanent residents and so grateful to be able to make this our permanent home.

I totally agree with your position on vendors’ [mis]use and exploitation of Public Beach. Hawkers have no right to be there, disrupting the enjoyable use of the beach by Caymanians. And, frankly, I also feel that those coming on the mega cruise ships for a day’s experience on Public Beach are equally disruptive and provide little to contribute to the economic wellbeing of our Island. 

That said, I feel that these current vendors do need government to create an opportunity to make a living in this difficult economic environment.

Every Sunday at sunrise, I run from my home to Governors Beach and walk either north or south for 30 blissful minutes before running back home. I see Caymanians enjoying their beach. I see hotel tourists (who I suspect spend far more dollars than the cruise ship ‘day-trippers’) marvelling while they peacefully walk the beach. I see no litter on that region of the beach. I try not to think about what this area might look like should it become what Public Beach has become. I pray that I will not see that day.

This begs the other issues that need to be addressed that I find most on my mind.

I understand that Grand Cayman has expressed its unwillingness to accommodate the ever-growing, humongous cruise ships of the future. Hurrah! These will only bring in more ‘day trippers’ that from my perspective provide little tourist-generated income to our economy, and accelerate the destruction of the Islands’ natural environment. Shouldn’t the long-term focus be on encouraging and accommodating the needs of stayover visitors as the future of the island’s tourism economy?

Litter: My husband and I walk a lot as we do not own a car. Every time I set out walking, I take a bag to collect trash and I always fill it. It makes me very said to feel a need to do this.

Recycling: Recently, glass recycling has been discontinued. Single-use plastic food-and-beverage containers dominate. We live on a small Island and I do not see this as sustainable.

Public transportation: My husband and I use the bus system a lot. However, it needs to be upgraded. Service to East End and Rum Point needs to be more efficient and reliable. The buses need to be electric. 

Traffic: Improve the bus system; limit the size of personal cars; and limit the number of cars per household to one.

Anne G. Evans