If you have plans to venture downtown between now and Christmas to get in a little shopping, we have a wee bit of advice.
Check out the cruise ship schedule at www.caymanport.com to conveniently check out which days are going to be the busiest for cruise traffic.
Long gone are the days when cruise ships came to our shores only one day during the week. We all knew to get our Christmas shopping and other downtown activities done before or after that day so we wouldn’t be caught in the throngs of people.
But now Grand Cayman residents find themselves fighting for parking spaces and getting through crowds of strangers. Those who work try to get in a little shopping during their lunch breaks, eating on the run and jockeying for position in downtown shops along with our visitors.
We do appreciate that visitors to our shores spend money in our shops, but figures the Caymanian Compass reported in October show that total spending of cruise visitors fell from $141.5 million in 2006 to $82.6 million in 2007. That’s a whopping 41.6 per cent drop.
Average spending per cruise passenger went from $81.40 in 2006 to $53.50 in 2007.
While it can be argued that each ship carries a few thousand people and we can expect an average of five to six ships a day during the holiday season, those of us who have big money to dole out at our downtown shops do get our noses a bit out of joint when we have to compete for shopping space with someone who probably isn’t going to leave behind a dime.
To add insult to injury some of the shops downtown shut down as soon as the last tourist has stepped off the sidewalk, while others close at 5pm.
The Compass has in the past asked shops to consider staying open until at least 6pm to give residents here a chance to shop without having to hit elbows with visitors.
We would ask that downtown shops at least consider staying open late one night a week so those of us who live here can infuse the Cayman economy. And please make that day a weekday, not Saturday.
Sunday shopping is still taboo in the Cayman Islands; a decision we respect.
A weekly shopping night would give residents on Grand Cayman a chance to buy from Cayman Islands merchants and it could also revitalise downtown George Town as a centre of activity.
Now that Cayman Brac is recovering from Hurricane Paloma, a weekly night of shopping could also be of use for residents there.
The cruise tourist season is at full throttle and will be until we’ve put up our Christmas decorations.
Make sure you know when to go when heading downtown to shop this season.
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