New cruise pier proposal for Cayman Brac aims to attract ‘boutique’ ships

The concept of a new cruise pier to develop Cayman Brac as a ’boutique destination’ has drawn a mixed response, with some hopeful of a business boom and others cautiously questioning, “Just how big is boutique?”

Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan confirmed that government has held discussions with cruise industry leaders over the possible development of a new pier that can cater to smaller cruise vessels.

The heads of several major cruise-ship brands visited the Brac in late February and have expressed keen interest in the destination.

Bryan told the Compass that he believes community support is there for small scale cruise tourism to be developed on the larger of the two Sister Islands.

And he said many of the environmental concerns that caused public outcry when two large piers were proposed for George Town harbour, simply don’t exist at the location under review.

“Would we be willing to build a pier on Cayman Brac? The answer is yes,” he said in response to questions from the Compass, following an article in the Caribbean Journal last week.

Bryan said the target market was smaller ships – in the range of 500 to 1,000 passengers – but potentially going as high as 2,500 in some cases.

The minister, who was at the Seatrade Cruise Global event in Miami Beach last week, said industry leaders, including those in that smaller niche, were very interested in the concept.

He said the project was still in the ‘exploratory phase’ and would likely require a commitment of two-to-four cruise calls per week to make it viable for businesses to develop. Even without a pier, he said, some brands were willing to commit to calling on the Brac.

Bryan highlighted an ‘exodus’ of young people from the Brac to Grand Cayman and further afield and said developing private sector job and business opportunities was a priority.

He said the project has the support of Premier and Brac MP Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, who was among a government delegation meeting with cruise officials on the island recently.

The Florida Caribbean Cruise Association affirmed its interest in an article in its trade magazine, Travel & Cruise, which details “intensive discussions” with Cayman’s leaders about a new port of call on the Brac.

Citing the Bluff, world-class diving, hiking trails and rock-climbing tours, it highlights the Brac as an off-the-beaten track destination that would appeal to cruisers.

Port Zeus links explored

The cruise pier project could be linked to a separate development of an inland harbour proposed by entrepreneur Frank Schilling and currently under review by government. 

The Port Zeus project, if approved, would create a protected marina, with berths for fishing boats and super yachts, and surrounding amenities close to Scott’s Dock. 

The project – as currently envisaged – would not be large enough to accommodate cruise ships.

And Schilling said his vision was to provide a “badly needed” amenity for the islands and attract inter-island and regional tourism. He said the Port Zeus plan, currently undergoing an environmental impact assessment as part of a coastal works application, could accommodate a passenger ferry or a large yacht but not a cruise ship. 

He said there was land adjacent to the project site that belonged to government and he would be willing to discuss working with them on separate infrastructure if required.

“Ultimately as the creator of this type of infrastructure, you do not have the luxury of dictating what you want. I think if that’s something the community wants, I would be willing to be involved,” he added.

How big is boutique?

Moses Kirkconnell, one of the two representatives for the Sister Islands in Parliament, gave tentative support to the concept but said a key factor would be scale.

He said the idea of bringing smaller ships to the Brac had been under discussion for some time. It’s a concept he supports, up to a point.

“I believe super yachts and small cruise ships have a part to play in Cayman Brac, absolutely. The question then becomes what do you class as a small cruise ship?

“I think something around 500 passengers is what the community would accept and what makes sense in terms of what the island could accommodate. That would allow the Brac to keep its charm and help provide economic activity.”

Kirkconnell cited a lack of tour buses and other services on the Brac to support much higher volumes of tourism.

“I don’t know how you would go to 2,500. You would need 80 coaches and then you would need enough work for them every day, not just a couple of times a year.”

But he highlighted a range of luxury boutique lines – including Regent Sea Cruises and Silversea – as worth pursuing.

The Sister Islands Tourism Association said it was unaware of the discussions at this stage and would like to be involved in the conversation as the concept develops.

Peter Quilliam, president of the association, said, “Without proper consultation with existing operators, the business community and the locals of the Sister Islands, there is a lot of water to go under the bridge before we could fully support this concept.

“If there was a business plan that focuses on business growth within the Tourism industry we would of course want to be involved in those discussions.”

‘Intensive Discussions’

The Florida Caribbean Cruise Association didn’t respond to request for comment Monday. But the visit of industry representatives to the Brac featured in a glowing profile in its trade magazine, titled, ‘The Cayman Islands Charting New Waters, Looking to Develop Cruise Port in Cayman Brac.’

“FCCA executives visited existing port sites on Cayman Brac and engaged in intensive discussions on the cruise tourism opportunities for the island, including a new port of call,” the article said.

The report highlights meetings between the association, cruise leaders and government officials including O’Connor-Connolly.

Bryan said the discussions had continued at last weekend’s trade show with the smaller brand operators that would fit the profile for the Brac.

“We are not talking about mass tourism. We are trying to create a boutique model,” he said, noting that ships in the larger 2,500 range would be a rarity.

He acknowledged that efforts to bring a cruise pier to Grand Cayman had encountered significant opposition, culminating in a petition that would have forced a referendum, prior to the project being abandoned.

But he said the conditions on the Brac were different. He said the area close to Scott’s Dock was already zoned for port development, had access to deep water and would not require significant dredging, and did not have the added risk of being located close to Seven Mile Beach – a key concern for those who opposed the George Town project.

Nonetheless he accepted the project would have to go thorough a business case and environmental assessment process and would not happen ‘overnight’.

He feels it is something that would appeal to the community and warrants further exploration.

“We invited the industry to the Brac to see if they would be interested in this type of boutique model and the answer was yes,” he said.

“When we put it all together, we felt it was something that could be done without disrupting the slow laid-back feel of the Brac, which is actually part of the appeal for these ships and these tourists.”

Privately, some business owners and residents on the Brac have expressed doubts about the viability of cruise tourism for the island, given the relative lack of amenities compared to Grand Cayman.

Others were more optimistic.

At Pat’s Kitchen, a restaurant and bar that deals in Caribbean specialties like salt beef and beans, baked chicken and Cayman-style fish, proprietor Allan ‘Patrick’ Williams welcomed the discussions.

“I think we deserve a few cruise visitors over here,” he said.

“We depend a lot on the locals and there are a lot of bars and restaurants, so that is tough. If we get a few more people coming in it would boost the economy here.”

Simone Scott who runs an art gallery on the Brac, said tall ships and a few high end luxury lines had visited the island before and are a good fit for the Brac.

But she believes it should be limited to a capacity of around 750 and with no more than one per week initially.

She cautioned against over committing to cruise tourism, especially larger ships, without a wider plan to accommodate taxis, tour operators and vendors.

Scott said she does not want to see over development on the Brac as has happened in Grand Cayman and cautioned that if the Port Zeus project goes ahead, “that’s more than enough development for now.”

Martin Keeley, one of the founders of the Cayman Islands Mangrove Education Project and a long time Brac resident, was more skeptical. He said any cruise pier plan would need to be backed by proper data analysis including a survey of Brackers.

“Previous boutique cruises to the Brac like the sail cruiser managed just fine with tenders,” he said.

“There were about 300 passengers and they walked the West End. A few made it to the Brac Beach Resort. The rest just wandered around.”