Topic: cruise tourism
In support of cruise tourism
The cargo port/cruise port debate seems destined to go on for quite some time, with an apparently endless list of people having a say...
Cruises reroute from Haiti and bring opportunity for Cayman
Grand Cayman is emerging as a key beneficiary as major cruises reroute from Labadee, Haiti, amid deepening security concerns.
COVID hangover blamed for slow tourism growth
A hangover from Cayman’s long border closure during the pandemic and an active storm season have been blamed for weak tourism growth in 2024.
Caribbean economist questions value of Cayman cruise ships
Marla Dukharan, who delivered the keynote address at the Chamber of Commerce's Economic Forum, 'Cayman 2035', highlighted that cruise ships tourists injected an average of $116 into the economy a head, up 10% on 2019, but a decline in real terms.
Cayman risks loss of cruise visits altogether, tourism minister warns
A long-term decline in the cruise ship industry in Cayman means that action will have to be taken before the sector "declines to nothing", Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan warned at a press briefing Wednesday.
Cruise ship operators warn Cayman could be bypassed without berthing facilities
Leading cruise ship operators have warned that the Cayman Islands risk being bypassed by the next generation of cruise ships unless the jurisdiction builds berthing facilities which allow passengers to walk ashore instead of being brought to the island by tender boats.
Bryan touts ‘simple’ cruise port referendum question
Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan is holding firm on the decision to hold a referendum on cruise berthing facilities later this year, saying the question would be straightforward to prevent the issue becoming confused and risk being rejected by voters "for the wrong reasons".
Bryan: Port referendum a ‘directive’ on cruise berthing, not a project approval
Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan has responded to concerns on the upcoming vote on the cruise berthing referendum.
Quarter million stayover visitors in first half of 2024
More than quarter of a million visitors flew to Cayman in the first six months of this year, the third highest visitation number on record, according to the latest tourism statistics.
Tourism thrives as stayover visitors near pre-pandemic highs
Efforts to boost stayover tourism are paying off with the latest statistics from the Department of Tourism pointing to stayover numbers that are approaching the pre-pandemic high recorded in early 2019.
New cruise pier proposal for Cayman Brac aims to attract ‘boutique’ ships
The concept of a cruise pier to develop Cayman Brac as a 'boutique destination' has drawn a mixed response with some hopeful of a business boom while others cautiously questioning, "How big is boutique?"
January cruise visitors down almost 10,000 on last year
Tourism leaders have pointed to January's rough weather as the main reason behind a significant decline in Cayman's cruise visitor numbers for January, in comparison to the previous year.
Cayman should appreciate cruise tourists
I have written before about the importance of tourism for the Cayman Islands, but I’d like to engage those who believe that cruise tourists...
Cayman’s cruise sector must sink or swim in new dynamic
As Cayman’s tourism officials voyage further into uncharted waters in search of a new national cruise tourism model, they warn that vendors must rethink their business strategies or face the grim reality of sinking with a now abandoned scheme.
Cruise lines eye Cayman Brac expansion
Heads of some of the world’s largest cruise companies discussed bringing their ships to Cayman Brac during a closed meeting with the government and Port Zeus developers.
2022 tourist arrivals exceed government projections
The number of visitors to the Cayman Islands that arrived by cruise ship or plane both exceeded government targets in 2022.
Editorial: Public Beach symptom of longer term problems for tourism
The ‘Wild West’ scene at Public Beach is a flashpoint for much larger questions over what Cayman’s tourism product should look like.
Special report: Public Beach ‘out of control’ as vendors vie for trade
Following the resumption of cruise tourism, vendors have returned to public beach prompting complaints about unregulated trade, illicit beer sales and and a scene that creates a bad image for Cayman tourism.
Airlift growing as Cayman heads for most successful winter stayover season
Tourism chiefs say the final quarter of 2022 is gearing up to be more successful in terms of stayover visitors than the same period in 2019, which was the busiest winter season in Cayman's history.
Cruise passengers visiting Cayman to halve by 2024
The number of cruise ship passengers visiting Cayman is expected to almost halve in the next two years, as cruise lines operating mega ships opt for destinations with berthing docks that can cater to the giant vessels, tourism chiefs say.
Cruise tourism strategy aims to keep numbers at pre-pandemic levels
An ongoing cruise tourism strategy for the Cayman Islands, while focussing on capacity management and sustainability, is unlikely to involve reducing the annual number of passengers arriving on local shores to below pre-pandemic numbers, Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan says.
VIDEO: Tourism workers consider merits of returning cruise passengers
As traffic crawls along Seafarers Way in George Town, the streets of the Islands' capital are now packed with tourists. It’s an all-too-familiar sign...
Resh Hour: Bryan outlines way forward for cruise tourism
Though Cayman is set to commence the second phase of the resumption of cruise tourism, it does not mean the return of passengers en masse, according to Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan.
Disney brings the “Magic” of cruise back to Cayman
Cayman officially welcomed the return of cruise tourism on Monday, rolling out the figurative red carpet for the Disney Magic, its first cruise ship in two years.
Waterfront businesses unlock shutters, prepare for cruise return
Cayman's waterfront will be abuzz with activity Monday as the country welcomes the first cruise ship to the island in two years.
Return of cruise: Passengers will not be required to test before they disembark
Premier Wayne Panton confirmed on Friday morning that cruise passengers will not be required to do lateral flow testing before disembarking in Cayman, when the first cruise ship returns to the jurisdiction on Monday, 21 March.
Bryan: Any cruise ship that poses risk to Cayman will be turned away
Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan has said community safety remains a top priority for government and if any approved cruise ship is found to pose a risk to Cayman it will be turned away.
Resh Hour: Bryan outlines cruise tourism plan
Tourism and Transport Minister Kenneth Bryan, on Wednesday's episode of The Resh Hour, discussed the return of stayover and cruise tourism, where he shared some of the protocols in place for the return of cruise ships on 21 March.
Ships Ahoy: Gearing up for the return of cruise
On Monday, 21 March, the Disney Magic, with its iconic Mickey Mouse silhouette emblazoned on its funnels, is scheduled to sail into George Town Harbour, becoming the first ship to arrive here in two years.
Unvaccinated cruise ship passengers won’t be allowed to disembark in Cayman
Unvaccinated cruise ship passengers, 12-years and older, will not be allowed to disembark while in Cayman, even if they have a medical exemption, according to Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan.
21 ships to arrive in first month of cruise resumption
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.
Cruise ships to return to Grand Cayman from March 21
Cruise ships will begin returning to the Cayman Islands from March 21, Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan announced Friday evening.
Return of cruise tourism nears with expected announcement
An announcement on when the first cruise ships will begin returning to Cayman is expected to be made imminently, after a Thursday afternoon press conference was cancelled.
Cruise industry chief: Passengers want unique Cayman experience
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.
Cayman aims for 40% of 2019 record stayover tourism numbers
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.
Study: ‘Quiet’ oceans without cruise ships leading to fish resurgence
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.
Cayman needs ‘new deal’ on cruise
As Cayman’s leaders seek to negotiate the complex logistics of cruising in the era of COVID-19, questions linger about the value of the sector to Cayman and whether a rethink of the relationship with the mega corporations that dominate the industry is possible.
Cruise lines ‘ready, willing and able’ to come to Cayman
Cruise lines have returned to the majority of ports across the Caribbean and Latin America and are ready to come back to Cayman, according to Michele Paige, president of the industry trade organisation.
Tourism Minister: Cruise lines could return by March next year
Cruise lines could be back in Cayman’s waters by the first quarter of next year, according to Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan.
Though the removal of...
Cruise tourism unlikely to resume this year
Cruise ships are unlikely to return to Cayman's waters this year, Premier Alden McLaughlin said Thursday.
Tourism leaders taking time to ‘get it right’ on border reopening
Cayman Islands leaders are taking time to ensure the island’s reopening plan is "as close to perfect as possible", tourism director Rosa Harris said Friday afternoon.
Poll: Cruise ships banned from Cayman until 2021
The Cayman Islands government recently announced it is banning cruise ships from visiting the islands for the remainder of 2020.
Further reading:
Cruise ships banned...
Cruise ships banned until 2021
Cruise tourism will not be returning to the Cayman Islands until next year.
Realigning our priorities post-COVID
I wish to write on a few issues that I think are pertinent to where we, as a people and a country, find ourselves...
Editorial: Rebuilding our tourism industry
The new realities around travel call for a general shift away from pure volume-based mass tourism, which in Cayman is synonymous with cruise ships, to quality-oriented, high-end tourism.
Gay cruise tourists staying on ship
The decision by the Cayman Islands government regarding same-sex marriage is an unfortunate one. We are visiting your island with a group of 300...
EDITORIAL – Put us down for ‘being bullish’ on the Brac
The government is exploring the potential of constructing a cruise dock on Cayman Brac to boost tourism and, by extension, the economy on that island. It might very well be a port we could support.
Port Authority helped fund cruise pier report
Government appealed to the Port Authority for help to cover a $1.8 million shortfall in funding for the environmental impact assessment on the proposed cruise pier project, according to Port Authority meeting minutes.
Asia’s economic climb presents scant threat to Caribbean tourism
Frank Bentayou
“Concern in Caribbean is unfounded.”
That’s the pithy first line of an email Stewart Chiron sent during a mid-trip pause in Dallas last week...
