The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism has appointed Swiss firm Kleber Group to strengthen the Cayman Islands’ positioning and attract high-value travellers to the destination in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
The appointment, which supports the department’s market diversification strategy, follows a competitive, multi-stage procurement process, according to a press release issued by the Cayman Public Relations Unit on Thursday, 7 Aug.
“Kleber Group has over 30 years of experience in the global communications industry, and specializes in travel, luxury, and lifestyle,” the release stated, adding that the trade marketing activities for the Cayman Islands will be led by the firm’s strategic director, Monika Diez Gansert, and its trade strategic manager, Judith Nagel, who both have over 15 years of experience and expertise in destination marketing.
Kleber Group’s client list includes the countries of Lithuanian, Singapore, Mexico and Thailand, and the cities of Milan, Madrid, San Francisco and Vienna, and the Canadian province of Alberta. Its clients also include airlines, cruise lines, hotels and hotel groups, and tour operators.
“Kleber Group has worked with the most exciting hotels, exotic destinations, key players in air transportation, and the most creative lifestyle brands,” the firm’s website states. “Every client is special to us, and we carefully study the uniqueness of each one to understand their [unique selling point].”
The Compass reported in February that a request for proposal had been issued for a public relations agency to handle tourism promotion in the UK and Europe. At the time, the Department of Tourism declined to comment about that RFP or about what happened with a similar one that had been issued in July 2024.
However, the RFP issued earlier this year asked for a UK-based organisation to provide UK and European public relations agency services. It is not known at this time if that RFP was subsequently modified in order to engage Kleber on a different scope, or if Kleber was engaged as a result of a different process.
Tourism strategy
Cayman’s peak tourism season is typically mid-December to mid-April, with many slow months in between.
The Department of Tourism says it has been working to flatten the patterns of seasonality in Cayman’s tourism industry and create a more resilient industry by expanding the destination’s source markets.
“Kleber Group will have a significant role in this strategy as their work with the travel trade, including tour operators, travel agencies and online travel agencies, will increase awareness of the Cayman Islands and facilitate partnership opportunities for local industry partners in Germany, Austria and Switzerland,” the press release stated.
It added that the goal of Kleber Group’s strategy and tactics is to drive increased visitation from those three European countries, which are sometimes known as the ‘DACH’ region, based initials of the country codes of each in German.
“Travellers from the DACH region, specifically Germany, are known for their propensity for international travel – often staying longer and spending more per trip than the European average,” said Director of Tourism Rosa Harris. “This is a valuable opportunity for the Cayman Islands as our product strongly aligns with what DACH travellers are looking for in a destination, with our beaches, culinary offerings and unique experiences.”
Harris said the Department of Tourism was confident that the Kleber Group would “develop and execute a strategy to grow these markets”.
She said part of the department’s strategy is to expand beyond traditional source markets to ensure Cayman’s tourism industry is resilient and can withstand market disruptions.
“We are looking ahead to the Owen Roberts Airport master plan improvements, including the runway extension to allow for nonstop routes from Europe,” she said. “Our work with Kleber Group plays an integral role in our aviation strategy as we engage with European airlines to show the demand for the Cayman Islands from these markets.”
Harris said account representatives from the Kleber Group had been hosted for a “destination immersion where they visited all three islands and met with local stakeholders”.
“The immersion trip helped Kleber Group further refine their strategy for the Cayman Islands and see possibilities for partnerships with the DACH travel trade by having a firsthand experience of our product offering,” she added.
Julia Kleber, CEO of Kleber Group, said the company’s team had visited Cayman and “were impressed by its world-class offerings – from top-tier hotels and dining to unique experiences like Stingray City, bioluminescent bays, and the diversity of its three islands”.
She added, “We look forward to expanding the Cayman Islands’ presence in the distribution network and supporting increased visitation.”
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This is simply throwing money out of the window, have we signed any other agency agreements in Europe?. It is abundantly clear to everyone except Ms Harris that as already we have few if any tourists from Western Europe, this will be a lost cause. Can she please report at the end of thisyear how many tourists have visited Cayman from this location and how much was paid to the agency?.
Wonder who in the government got a kickback in Cayman.
After 40 years this may be the first arrangement undertaken to directly market Cayman in Europe.
Yet, over the same period, various Ministers and Directors of Tourism have pushed the airport management to extend the runway for a European market. Previous Minister Kenneth Bryan and Rosa Harris have been no different…the latest push is an MoT initiative. Now, we finally appoint a marketing agency.
Obviously that cart has been dragging the horse all these years!
Now that the first step has finally been taken, we should wait to see IF a market emerges from Europe before we consider extending the runway to burden our islands with more debt. Do we have a product to appeal to mass Euro tourists?
I’ve never been one for spotlight but it seems like my crowing on this subject may have prodded the “powers that be” to approach this matter in the proper manner…..get the business first then extend the runway, if it’s necessary. You’re welcome Mr. Stran!
Of course, that’s only simple common sense. But where has that been in the halls of MoT and DoT all these years?
Meanwhile, London remains a conduit for quite some time into the future if the marketing is successful and Euro visitor numbers grow, so, appointment of a marketing agency is not, in itself, justification to extend the runway.
In the past decades European advertising agencies have just wasted Millions of Cayman taxpayers money. NO return on investment! Be transparent and tell us how much Cayman just “gave away” to this advertisement group?
The Cayman Department of Tourism should stay focused on the North American tourism market!
The Department of Tourism should also be better focused on “negotiations” for bring more Cruise Ships to the island! Advertise to Cruise Ships passengers a $25 credit for a Cayman port of call especially during slow season.