Cayman Islands Border Reopening

Within the first four weeks of cruise lines returning to the Cayman Islands, 21 ships carrying up to 74,208 passengers are scheduled to arrive, the Ministry of Tourism confirmed on Tuesday.

Finding a rental car in Cayman at the moment can be challenging, as the islands' border reopening brings in an influx of tourists who are snapping up vehicles.

The Cayman Islands Government announced the further relaxing of COVID-19 restrictions under Phase 5 of the islands reopening plan, effective Friday 18 Feb.

Fully vaccinated and securely verified travellers will no longer face multiple COVID tests in the Cayman Islands after government announced it was ditching the unpopular measure.

On Saturday, four United Airlines aircraft arrived in Cayman for the first time since local borders were closed in 2020.

Experiences that are quintessentially and uniquely Caymanian rather than simply sun, sea and sand are what cruise passengers will be looking for when ships return to Cayman’s shores, cruise industry leader Michele Paige says.

The Cayman Islands this year is aiming to reach up to 40% of 2019's stayover tourism levels, which equates to between 175,000 and 200,000 visitors, according the islands' director of tourism.

American Airlines is set to touch down on local shores on 17 Feb., marking the formal return of the US carrier since borders were first closed in March 2020.

Government officials have completed a day of meetings with cruise line chiefs, in a bid to work out details of how Cayman can begin safely receiving cruise ship tourists again.

Quarantine restrictions for children have been eased, paving the way for families to travel to the Cayman Islands.

Cayman Islands Tourism Association President Marc Langevin says Air Canada's decision to suspend its Toronto-Grand Cayman route is yet another blow to the islands' tourism industry, which is still reeling from almost two years of border closures.

Air Canada is suspending 14 of its Caribbean routes, including to Grand Cayman, until at least the end of April, in light of a surge in COVID-19 cases and associated government regulations in the region, the airline has announced.

“It’s good to be back.'" That was the message from The Ritz-Carlton resort in Grand Cayman on Wednesday as the luxury hotel threw open its doors once more after a $50 million renovation.

During the almost four months of lockdown in the Cayman Islands, while the local waters were devoid not just of cruise ships, but also of jetskis, fishing vessels and dive boats, the much-quieter environment led to a significant increase in fish populations, according to an ongoing Central Caribbean Marine Institute study.

A tourism job fair offering more than 200 positions for Caymanians and permanent residents will be held on Thursday afternoon, 9 Dec.

Even with every Caymanian who has expressed an interest in working in restaurants and hotels taking up a position, there will still be 600-700 jobs that need to be filled in those fields as the industry gears up to receive growing numbers of visitors, tourism chiefs say.

Pop-up Covid testing centres are being established in hotels across Grand Cayman to make it easier for tourists to be screened for the virus.

With Travel Cayman dealing with 600-800 new travel applications a day, travellers are complaining of stress and frustration as they await last-minute approvals.

In the days after Cayman’s borders reopened on 20 Nov., a small number of tourists across the islands were taking giant strides off the back of dive boats or climbing down ladders to start shore dives.

Public health chiefs are facing calls to drop the “exit test” for people in isolation amid concerns that some Cayman residents are being confined to their homes for up to six weeks.

Although not officially part of Phase 4 of government's border reopening plan, cruise line Holland America has been given the nod to call on Grand Cayman on 28 Dec., making it the first cruise to touch local shores in almost 20 months.

With some 700 people seeking COVID testing Monday at health facilities across the islands, there were a few teething problems as the first day of testing got under way, following the reopening of Cayman's borders this weekend.