CITA president urges more ‘Caymanian flavour’ in tourism

Caymanian entrepreneur and newly re-elected Cayman Islands Tourism Association president Troy Leacock says tourism is at the “tipping point of a crisis” with “insufficient” numbers of Caymanians getting involved in the industry.

Declaring that “tourism is everybody’s business,” Leacock said he and his new board are committed to turning this tide.

He told the Compass that he, and CITA’s executive committee and board of directors, were committed in the year ahead “to being a catalyst for driving more Caymanian participation, culture and flavour into our tourism industry”.

In his report on the industry at the association’s recent annual general meeting at which he and the board were elected, Leacock expressed his concern over the small percentage of Caymanians working in tourism.

“Tourism is the most indigenous and long-established industry in these islands, and it is at a tipping point of a crisis that has been years in the making,” he said in his AGM address. “Insufficient numbers of Caymanians are joining our industry even as we rebuild and also prepare for the opening of several major hotels. If the trend continue, we will eventually be facing a Cayman tourism industry with relatively few Caymanians in the industry.”

‘Caymanian flavour’

Leacock, speaking with the Compass this week on tourism trends, said the Caymanian flavour has to be a priority, especially with several new hotels being constructed and potentially more than a thousand jobs coming online.

He said there needs to be an active effort towards “infusing Caymanian history, culture, food and music flavour” into the industry.

“It is not about employment, our industry needs this,” he said.

While efforts have been made to attract Caymanians to the industry, more needs to be done, he believes.

“The tourism industry needs to compete with other industries, not only for young Caymanians, but talented Caymanians,” he said.

Non-Caymanian tourism workers, he said, have to be educated on all things Caymanian so they can share this knowledge with visitors to enhance their experience.

“The only thing that works for us is our Caymanian people, culture, history, and we need to make sure we are using that as best we can and give an amazing visitor experience,” he said.

He added that the Caymanian influence is what sets the islands apart from the rest of the Caribbean, which also boasts beautiful beaches and sand.

‘All round effort needed’

He said, over the COVID period, a lot of Caymanians working in tourism moved to other industries and many did not return, which has compounded the issue.

He acknowledged that a number of training and qualification programmes are available on island to Caymanians interested in getting involved in the tourism industry.

“I am very inspired by what I am seeing with Dart, that not only has the hospitality fairs, they have started an apprenticeship programme, as well as the Inspire Cayman training for water-sport operators, which went really well; and the [University College of the Cayman Islands’] hospitality school obviously has a programme,” he said.

However, he said, with tourism offerings expanding, there will be an influx of new employees within the industry, so fixing the issue of dwindling Caymanian influence is a matter of priority.

“This is not something that can be addressed in one year,” he said. “This will take collaboration with educational establishments, schools and colleges. and the industry supported by government policies.”

Last month, Dart hosted its annual job fair at Kimpton Seafire Resort which attracted 400 registered attendees, who met with representatives from The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman; Kimpton Seafire Resort; Hampton by Hilton; and the Hotel Indigo, which is set to open in April 2024.

Leacock pointed to the Department of Tourism’s ‘Know your Cayman Islands’ programme as a starting point to educate all tourism workers, as well as newly arrived residents, about the local culture and history.

The CITA president said this could be a short-term, quick remedy until wider employment and training efforts mature.

He added that a “robust and diverse” apprenticeship programme is needed across various roles in the industry, from food and beverage workers, concierges and water sport operators.

“There are many job roles that cannot be learned in the classroom,” he said. While these skills can be taught in small businesses, they require funding, he acknowledged.

“This is where the government support and policies come in,” he said.

Leacock said there also needs to be better communication on the career and business opportunities in the industry to recruit and retain Caymanians.

“Tourism is special; we have to get more that double our share of the Caymanian labour pool,” he said.

Responding to the oft-repeated argument that Caymanians tend not to gravitate toward the tourism industry, he said, “We need to ask why they are not coming. Is it how they being recruited… what is being offered?”

He believes tourism leaders recognise this and are addressing the issue.

Leacock, at the AGM, urged each tourism business, whether a member of the CITA or not, to share their enthusiasm for working in the industry with local students and within the community.

Board members

In addition to the return of the CITA board, two new directors were added.

Amber Smith from Prime Purveyors will be joining the allied sector and Jo Mikutowicz of Divetech will be joining the water-sports sector, a CITA statement Thursday stated.

CITA Executive Director Jay Ehrhart said he was pleased with the continuity for the next year of the CITA board as the executive members will remain the same.

During the AGM, Director of Tourism Rosa Harris, along with senior department officials, presented a detailed scope of the work they have done and are continuing to do to increase visitation to these islands.

The CITA Board of Directors for 2023-2024

Editor’s Note: The Cayman Compass is a subsidiary of Dart Media and Entertainment.