BK Big Fish March 3rd -5th, Awards dinner March 6th Register Now at fishcayman.com or in person at GTYC on 2nd March, 6pm Over $60,000 in cash and prizes to be won with giveaways for all participants! @bkbigfish @Caymanbkbigfish Follow us for all the updates cayman compass Your most trusted news source Established 1965 $1 | Funding local journalism | Weekly, 10-16 February 2023 Cat fight: Feral animal regulations draw ire Pages 14-15 Javelin champ Pascal quits sport over lack of support Page 26 Homeward bound Plans launched for return of historic schooner Pages 19-23 Anger as more foreign sports sponsorships revealed Page 5Tiffany Conolly was found guilty of all the charges against her on Thursday, 9 Feb. 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Compass Centre, Shedden Road, George Town, Cayman Islands SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman, KY1-1108 Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@compassmedia.ky ADVERTISE WITH US: T: (345) 949-5111 E: sales@compassmedia.ky W: caymancompass.com NEWS EDITOR CAROLINE JAMES BUSINESS EDITOR MICHAEL KLEIN ISSUES EDITOR JAMES WHITTAKER HEAD OF SALES CHERYL BIRCH-GILLIES weather Friday Forecast FORECAST Partly cloudy skies with a 40% chance of showers. SEA STATE Moderate to rough with a wave height of 4 to 6 feet. WINDS East to northeast at 10 to 15 knots. 86°F HIGH 75°F LOW news in brief Beauty queen found guilty of assault Miss Cayman Islands Universe Tiffany Conolly was found guilty on Thursday, 9 Feb. of assaulting her ex-boyfriend and his father, damaging both men’s vehicles as well as assaulting police. Conolly was found guilty of all the charges against her, which consisted of two counts of assault, two counts of damage to property, two counts of assaulting police and one count of disorderly conduct. “The evidence against you was overwhelming,” said Magistrate Philippa McFarlane as she delivered her judgement. The magistrate released Conolly on bail, pending a 20 April sentencing, and warned her that the guilty verdicts now put her in breach of an 18-month suspended sentence imposed by the Summary Court for charges of a similar nature against different complainant. “By breaching the suspended sentence, it now means you are going to have to be resentenced,” said the judge. “Previously no conviction was recorded; however, this breach means a conviction… will be recorded.” Seized jewels go missing at Customs, probe under way A quantity of jewellery that formed part of the evidence seized from a passenger has gone missing at Cayman’s Customs and Border Control, leading to an internal investigation into the disappearance. However, CBC, responding to Cayman Compass queries on the missing jewellery, declined to release the value of the items. It has also confirmed that no officer has been suspended in connection with this matter. CBC, in an emailed statement, said the jewellery was seized during an investigation by its fraud section, which involved an attempt by a passenger to evade import duty last year. The CBC's Professional Standards Unit is investigating the matter. The fraud section has since been disbanded. CBC said the unit’s disbandment was not connected to the probe, but “was simply part of CBC’s phased restructuring which consolidated all investigations under a single CBC Investigations Section”. Man dies in water-related incident Police are investigating the death of man who was found unresponsive in a boat in the waters near the Kimpton resort in West Bay on Saturday, 4 Feb. They say the circumstances of his death are not considered suspicious at this time. In a statement on 5 Feb., police said officers responded at about 12pm on the previous day to a report that a man had been found unresponsive in a boat. The man was brought back to shore by a private vessel and later pronounced dead. The matter is currently under investigation. Residents voice support, concerns over East-West Arterial extension During a public meeting about the East-West Arterial 10-mile extension at Craddock Ebanks Civic Centre in North Side on Tuesday, 7 Feb. – the first of two held this week – consultants from US-based Whitman, Requardt & Associates, working with the National Roads Authority, delivered the draft terms of reference for the environmental impact assessment of the proposed road, from Woodland Drive to Frank Sound Road. In the question-and-answer session following the consultants' presentation, some current and former elected representatives from the eastern districts solidly placed their support behind the plan to extend the road. Former East End representative and former minister responsible for roads, Arden McLean, told the meeting that plans to expand the road dated back many years, saying that if the 2008 economic downturn had not occurred, the extension would already have been built, and an EIA would not have been necessary. The National Conservation Act, under which the EIA on the proposed road is being carried out, was passed in 2013. McLean also heavily criticised an analysis of the project that Kevin Kay, of UK-based Ardent Engineers, had done on the request of Sustainable Cayman, which questioned the need for the expanded road and suggested that widening existing roadways on the route would address the congestion issue. The second meeting on the EIA terms of reference was set to be held at the church hall of the Cayman Islands Baptist Church, at 163 Pedro Castle Road, Savannah, from 6pm to 9pm on Thursday, 9 Feb. The National Conservation Council has determined that an EIA of the proposed road is needed, as it encroaches on the ecologically important Central Mangrove Wetlands. For more on this story, visit caymancompass.com. Man denies attempted murder and gun charges A West Bay man has denied attempted murder charges in relation to a shooting in the parking lot of Marquee Plaza in George Town last year. Appearing via video link from Northward Prison’s secure unit, Drewan Elvis Ebanks, 24, entered not guilty pleas to one count of attempted murder, and one count of possession of an unlicensed firearm. The charges stem from a 19 Dec. 2022 incident that left the victim with a single gunshot wound to his torso. According to police, the shooting occurred following an altercation at the rear of the Power Supply Bar, and the victim was transported to the Cayman Islands Hospital where he was treated for serious injuries. A seven-day jury trial has been set for Monday, 14 Aug. Ebanks has been remanded into custody until then. cayman compass 2 N news WEEKLY, 10-16 FEBRUARY 2023Thank you for your support in 2022 The Pines Retirement Home Board of Directors, Management, Sta , and Residents. ORGANISATIONS INDIVIDUALS • Aall Foundation • Al La Kebab • A.L. ompsons • Animal House • A.T.L.A.N.T.I.C • Banco Bradesco • BrittHay Electric Ltd • Bodden Town Women’s Fellowship • Burger King • Casa Nova Restaurant • C.I. Regiment • Cayman Food Bank • Cayman Islands Baptist Church • Cayman Islands Department of Agriculture • Cayman Islands Humane Society ri Shop • Chef Mark on behalf of His Excellency the Governor & Mrs. Roper • Chicken Chicken • Christopher Columbus Condos • Church of God Chapel/Benevolence Ministry & Congregation • Church of God Full Gospel Hall • Church of God Universal • CIMBOCO • Citco Fund Services • CJ’s Furniture • Compass Media • Conyers Cayman • Cost-U-Less • Dominoes Pizza • Eagle & Eagle, P.A. • East End Primary School (Student, Sta & PTA) • Economy Printers • Excite Motors • Forsythe Ltd • Freemason Hall • Fosters • Garden Club Cayman • George Town Church of Christ • Good Deeds ri Shop • Grace Christian Academy • Harney’s Cayman • Health Services Authority (HSA) • Hell’s Service Station • HESHA Westshore Plaza • His Majesty’s Prison Service • Hurleys Market • Island Taste • Jacques Scott • John Gray High School Spanish Dept. • John Gray Women’s Fellowship • Kirk O ce • Kirk Freeport • License To Chill • Light of the World Christian Fellowship • Limestone Investments Ltd • Lions Club Grand Cayman • Lions Club of Tropical Gardens • Logic • Maples Finance • Maples Group • Massy United Insurance Ltd • Mini Warehouse 2 – Richard McLaughlin • Mise en Place Ltd. Catering • Must Love Dogs • National Gallery • National Housing Development Trust • Needs Assessment Unit (NAU) • Partyville • Phoenix Recovery Ltd • Pink Ladies Volunteer Corps • Pizza Hut • Progressive Distributors • Red Sail Sports • Reliable Cleaning Services • Rhema Global Impact Ministries • Ritz Carlton Cayman • Rosies Roses • Rotary Sunrise • Rotary Sunrise Kids • Rubis – Walker’s Road • Scouts • Seven Mile Swimmers • Starbucks • S.T. Bodden Construction • St. George’s Mother’s Union • St. Ignatius Church • Subway Cayman • Sunrise Community Church • Teach Cayman • e Girls Brigade • e Harbour Trust Company • e Marriott Beach Resort • e Mobile Vet Company • e New Self-Help Foundation • Tiny Tots Academy • Treats Restaurant • Tricor Services Cayman Limited – Daniel omas • Trisha’s Roses • Turtle Farm • United Church Teen’s Camp • Welly’s Restaurant • Yardley Ltd • Yummy Tummy (Chef Mahesh) • Water Authority - Cayman • Abhijit M. Rakshe • Adam Gordon • Andelee Mullings • Arthur McTaggart • Barry Smith – Forbes Hare • Carlene Alexander – Pinnacle Condos • Carroll Yates • Chef Mahesh • Chris Smith - Cayman Security Ltd • Christina Kish • Dionne Stewart • Dr. Sarath De Alwis • Esther Anderson • Family of the late Keith Parker Tibbetts, Jr. • Gene Merren • Harish Punjabi • Hon. Andre Ebanks • Hon. Christopher Saunders • Jeanne Mo tt • Jessica Pawlik • John & Ann Sta ord • John Ebanks • Joseph Ebanks • Kathleen Ryan • Mrs. Kay Powery & Family • Kelsey Still • Kosheela Summun • Lindsey Brady – HD Barbershop Team • Marjorie Scott • Melinda Suico • Mitzie Bailey • Mr. Graham • Mr. Long • Mora Goddard • Ms. Bhakti • Mr. James Ramoon • e Swing Family • Pauline Lambert • PRH – Board of Directors • Ralph Lewis – Caymanian Times • Rasheed Bodden & Family • Ravee & Seema Kapoor • Ray Farrington • Samantha Dorman on Behalf of Dept. of Agriculture • Samantha Pedley • Samson Family • Sharon Bello • Sheila MacKenzie • Shevonne Stewart • Tani Reis • eodora Bush • Tim & Stephanie Dailey • Tom Hillman • Vanitha R. Kannan • Verna Webb • Heber Arch • eo Bullmore • Katharine Holmes • Tina Meigh • Dr. Stephen Pickering • Pamela Webster • Dr. Samuel Williams-Rodriguez BOARD MEMBERS cayman compass 3 WEEKLY, 10-16 FEBRUARY 20231234567 89 101112 13 1415 16 171819 20 212223 2425 1234567 89 101112 13 1415 16 171819 20 212223 2425 ACROSS 1 Initially (2,5) 5 Discourage (5) 8 Detailed plan of work (9) 9 Conger, for example (3) 10 Move gradually (4) 12 Witchcraft (5,3) 14 German poet and dramatist (6) 15 Become very angry (3,3) 17 Small details (8) 18 Norwegian capital (4) 21 Set down (3) 22 Appear in exaggerated form (4,5) 24 Raised part between furrows (5) 25 Generally reckoned (7) DOWN 1 Stroll (5) 2 Contagious virus disease (3) 3 Ready for harvesting (4) 4 Threefold (6) 5 Impartial (8) 6 Dictionary of synonyms (9) 7 Told (7) 11 Jealous (5-4) 13 Harmless untruth (5,3) 14 One who bets (7) 16 Approval (6) 19 At a stretch (2,3) 20 State of agitation (4) 23 Desert a cause (3) The Compass Crossword Puzzle The Compass universal kakuro Puzzle 17237 The numbers in the black cells are clues. Numbers above the slash are across clues. Number below the slash are down clues. The goal is to enter digits 1 - 9 in the white cells to add up to the number clues. You cannot enter any digit more than once when adding up to clue. TODAY'S SOLUTIONS Puzzle 17237 ACROSS: 1 At first, 5 Deter, 8 Blueprint, 9 Eel, 10 Edge, 12 Black art, 14 Goethe, 15 See red, 17 Minutiae, 18 Oslo, 21 Lay, 22 Loom large, 24 Ridge, 25 Reputed. DOWN: 1 Amble, 2 Flu, 3 Ripe, 4 Triple, 5 Detached, 6 Thesaurus, 7 Related, 11 Green-eyed, 13 White lie, 14 Gambler, 16 Favour, 19 On end, 20 Flap, 23 Rat. It’s not me, it’s you. I know my timing is difficult with Valentine’s Day fast approaching, but the heart expresses what the heart wants on its own timetable. This isn’t my first Caribbean island love story. I tend to swipe right when I see ‘Caribbean island’ in the profile. However, the Cayman Islands have been home for many years at different points in my life and I have always felt at home here. I work with wonderful people and have always been treated with kindness and love by the people of the Cayman Islands. This isn’t a break-up: I just think we need to talk about growth and inclusivity. The Cayman Islands should be a place for all economic levels of society. People should not have to live paycheck to paycheck or depend on the government, because the cost of living is brutal for all but the wealthy. I know a rising tide and an influx of capital raises all boats, but without the proverbial boat (affordable housing, well-paying jobs, a strong educational system, a government of the people), the wealth disparity becomes divisive. Inevitably, Cupid’s arrows no longer function, and loving Cayman requires a lot of work. I want this love to last and I hope the Cayman Islands will always remember that “he hath founded it upon the seas” for everyone. Bob Nickoles Noise pollution harms Cayman as a desirable tourist destination. However, important emergency services are not the culprit. The biggest three are: The jet skis off Seven Mile Beach and Rum Point/Kaibo. Government needs to really put in clear 200 yard markers where they need to stay outside. Leaf blowers. Has there ever been a more useless device with maximum irritating noise? Gardening staff should use rakes until James Dyson invents a quiet and effective version. Roosters. We seriously need a cull here, guys. Ken Rowe Compass Investigation: Sun, sea and suspect sponsorships I’m sure that $500K would have been better spent on the facilities here. Chris Hirst Pity they didn’t spend it on getting our children fit. Fiona Foster How about some government sponsorship for our gymnasts that are representing Cayman at the Island Games in July? Corporate sponsorship also welcomed. Michael Hare Surprise surprise; yet they don’t support our local athletes. Leon Gould Pascal calls it a career after hassles with athletic association “He hath founded it upon the seas… to find ever new ways to disempower future generations…” On behalf of all of our people, I’m very sorry, young man. Eden Hurlston Pretty sure that $500K that was spent on UK university teams could have been helpful here? Rory Joe McDonough So, to read this article, the association says it had one request ever from him and it was submitted 10 days in advance of an event. I call Brokenhearted over wealth disparity in Cayman Too much noise What they’re saying OnlineLetters to the editor BS – a person with a promising career who has been thwarted to the point that he gives up his dream, did not do so because of one request. Also, very tone-deaf comment, Bernie Bush: “Oh, maybe he’ll become a coach.” If anyone knows Pascal personally and wants to talk to him about whether he would come back if he had funding, I suggest that friends set up a GoFundMe and see if the people of the Cayman Islands are more supportive than the actual associations/ federations and whatnot that are set up to help local athletes. Social media is a powerful thing and people like to see and support others fulfilling their dreams. I’ll pledge the first $100. Sheridan Robinson So sad that a Caymanian cannot depend on his government to support his athletic career. Erica V. Hernandez This man is a national treasure and should be treated as such. Division 1 SEC All-American at the University of Missouri. That talent is difficult to come by via the US, much less Cayman. Jordan Stubblefield Yes. Pull the monies from overseas sports clubs now! Shelley Solomon That is very sad. Shame on those responsible for that [sports] ministry. Anything to keep Caymanians down. Michel Lemay Up to $500,000 fine, 4 years in jail for feeding feral chickens, cats This almost sounds like it was intentionally designed to make things worse. When you don’t feed the cats, they feed on something else. That means more dead wildlife. When you don’t allow spaying and neutering, that leads to more feral cats. That means more dead wildlife. Loudy227 C. Shame on you! Why don’t you worry about the beach erosion, raising minimum wage? I heard it hasn’t been increased in 14 years and, most importantly, why don’t you worry about the increasing crime! Disgusting and awful! Cara La Scala-Bongiovanni Now the government is worried about the chickens and cats and that they spent previous years paying people to kill iguanas. They want to leave the island without animals. The government always has double standards. They should improve some things that are worrisome on the island, such as the prices of everything and the poor wages. Oskiesp Rivas This is absolutely insane! The Humane Society has done such a great job with the spay-and-release programme, and now we can’t even help feed the spayed feral colonies? Do they want them to starve? Or just kill the local birds, agoutis, etc? Filip Galbavý Has April Fool’s Day come early? “According to the FAQs, accompanying the new regulations, cats that are allowed to roam freely outside a person’s property, even if microchipped and considered family pets, would be deemed to be feral cats.” Are cat owners expected to put up large fences to stop their moggies encroaching on a neighbour’s property? Robert C. The capture/spay/release programme has done an incredible job of spaying feral cats on the island for years. It makes absolutely no sense that they are going to make this illegal. Cats can have 2-3 litters per year, with an average of 4 or 5 kittens per litter, which makes 15 cats in one year. If the cat lives to age 10, that’s 150 cats. Cats can have kittens as early as 5 months of age. Well, if you do the math, offspring breeding over 10 years from one cat could produce over 500 kittens. Now multiply that by hundreds of cats having litters if they go ahead with this insane idea. The Humane Society can’t keep them all, so they’ll be in the business of euthanasia. Or the cats will be starving (but killing more endangered species). It’s the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard of. Sandra L. cayman compass 4 news N news WEEKLY, 10-16 FEBRUARY 2023JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@compassmedia.ky When a young Cayman Islands national team cyclist showed up to compete at an event in the UK, he was surprised to see some of his fellow riders flying the Cayman flag. The athlete, who had bought a second-hand bike to race for Cayman, enquired about the girls wearing custom cycling gear with the Cayman Islands logo and the Sir Turtle insignia. He liked the jerseys and wondered if he might be able to buy one. But he soon learned that the girls were part of a European under-23 development team that was apparently being sponsored by the Cayman government. The exact financial contribution from the Cayman government budget, if any, to the Torelli European Cycling Team is not clear. Details were not included in an FOI response to the Cayman Compass which asked for information on all of the Department of Tourism’s sponsorship agreements. The DoT has not responded to new questions from the Compass about this and other partnerships, advertised online and on social media. The FOI response, which revealed more than $500,000 in sponsorship to UK sports teams, including some with no fan base and limited media coverage, was heavily redacted and is currently under appeal with the ombudsman. In general, the sponsorship agreements ranged from around $5,000-a-year up to $50,000-a-year. It now seems that the additional deals, including partnerships with Torelli and with Worcester rugby team in the UK, were omitted from the response. The revelations from our report – which included details of a $10,000-a-year sponsorship of an amateur field hockey team that the DoT’s UK regional manager plays for – have stoked anger and resentment among sports leaders in Cayman. Craig Merren, a former Olympic cyclist, cycle shop owner and a former president of the Cayman Islands Cycling Association, said he was stunned at the amount of money going to amateur athletes in other countries. “If you want to advertise Cayman, put up a sign on the back of a double-decker bus. If you want to sponsor athletes, that money should go towards developing young Caymanians.” Tourism leaders say the budgets for sponsorships and for sports development are separate and have different goals. But questions are being asked about the wisdom of spending cash on overseas teams – especially junior or amateur squads with no media profile. Merren said he had become aware of the DoT’s sponsorship of the European cycling team after the story was relayed to him by a promising young cyclist competing in England. “Here is a Cayman Islands national cyclist who is racing on a second-hand bike he bought in the UK and here is this developing cycling team made up of young women from UK, Scotland, Ireland, France, Holland and other countries with £6-8K racing bicycles, and all decked out with top cycling gear with Cayman Islands as a sponsor. What is going on?” He said he had raised the issue with government officials after learning about it early last year but had received no response. Merren said he and other sports leaders and supporters of Cayman youth frequently dug into their own pockets to help the island’s athletes participate overseas. “When I got the news, I was actually shocked that the Cayman Islands government was sponsoring sporting teams across Europe and here we are in Cayman struggling to find funding for bikes, wheels, parts, kits, bike boxes (for travelling) and some hope from the CI sports ministry,” he said. “I started to wonder where they went wrong. Haven’t they heard of the Cayman Islands Cycling Association?” He said he only became aware of the scale of the sponsorship agreements, beyond cycling, when he saw the Compass article last week. He urged government to “stop this right now”, arguing that there would be very little return on investment from a shirt sponsorship with a developing cycling team. ‘Portsmouth cash could have gone on field upgrades’ Among the details revealed by the Compass FOI were agreements worth more than $100,000 for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club and a $125,000 deal to sponsor the Milton End stand at UK League One team Portsmouth FC’s Fratton Park stadium. Alfredo Whittaker, president of the Cayman Islands Football Association, said he was disappointed that money was going overseas while the local association has not received any financing from the current government. He said the money would have been better spent – from a sports and tourism perspective – if it had been used to upgrade the islands’ facilities. Whittaker said there were tournaments being held all over the Caribbean that would be great sports tourism events during the islands’ low season. Right now, Cayman does not have the fields, the stadiums or the facilities to qualify as a host. He said upgrades were needed at Ed Bush stadium in West Bay and at the Annex in George Town, in particular, to allow them to host international fixtures. “If the DoT were to take that 100K and use it to bring our stadiums up to standard, we could bring these tournaments to Cayman in our slow season. That would benefit everyone – hotels, transport companies, restaurants – everyone,” he said. Pre-season Pompey fixture discussed Whittaker also confirmed that discussions had taken place for Portsmouth to travel to Cayman for a pre-season game. But he said the investment that would have been required to meet their demands was more than CIFA could commit to. “I was told that they would be inviting Portsmouth to come to Cayman and have a training camp and to play one game against our senior men’s team.” But he said the demands – including guarantees of the quality of the field, access to specific gym equipment at their hotel and to video analysis technology – were impossible to meet. “I wouldn’t put CIFA through those kind of expenses for one game,” he said. “We had a meeting and a couple of emails back and forth and then I heard nothing more.” Sports Minister Bernie Bush did not respond to requests for comment. Portsmouth FC did not respond to our questions on the matter and the details of the sponsorship agreement were redacted from the Department of Tourism’s FOI response. Minister Bryan: ‘Tourism sponsorships promote destination’ Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan said the aim of the department’s sponsorships was to achieve a return on investment for Cayman as a destination. He said marketing – through radio, social media and partnerships with sports teams and brands – aimed to enhance Cayman’s stature as a destination in key markets with the ultimate goal of driving tourism to the islands. That budget and that outcome, he said, is separate and distinct from government's funding for local sports associations, “I think sometimes there is a misunderstanding of how marketing works as opposed to sponsorship of our local clubs. One is designed to encourage development of sport and our athletes, while marketing for tourism focuses on exposure in our core market. “There’s a different end result in mind,” he said, noting there was sometimes opportunity for collaboration – when those two goals coincided. The Department of Tourism sponsored Cayman golfer Aaron Jarvis, for example, when he represented the island at the US Masters and other international competitions last year. Asked about the funds that have gone to amateur teams in the UK, including rugby and field hockey teams with no fans or media coverage, Bryan said those types of expenditures could still represent value for money as “low stakes investments”. The Department of Tourism has said it was previously unaware of links between its UK and Europe regional manager Adrian White and the Old Cranleighan hockey team, which received around $10,000-a-year for the past three years from the DoT. Bryan said, “Accountability is very important to me and we are taking this matter very seriously. We are reviewing the matter and I can’t add much more than that at this stage.” The DoT did not respond to questions about White’s future or about the additional sponsorships left out of the FOI response. Sports figures angry over cash for overseas sponsorships More tourism patronage outlined as local athletes struggle Craig Merren, centre, with a 2018 National Heroes Day award for his cycling career, presented by then Sports Minister Juliana O'Connor-Connolly and MLA Dwayne Seymour. - Photo: Cayman Sports Buzz The DoT appears to be sponsoring a European cycling team. - Photo: Facebook cayman compass 5 news N news WEEKLY, 10-16 FEBRUARY 2023MICHAEL KLEIN mklein@compassmedia.ky The number of visitors to the Cayman Islands that arrived by cruise ship or plane both exceeded government targets in 2022. The islands welcomed 1.28 million tourists last year, consisting of 743,394 cruise passengers and 284,274 stayover visitors. Monthly air arrivals still below pre-pandemic levels At the start of Cayman’s reopening following the COVID pandemic, the Department of Tourism set a goal of 200,000 to 256,000 stayover visitors for 2022 to achieve the Tourism Ministry’s objective of taking in at least 40% of 2019’s tourism tax revenue. Following a slow start in January with just 5,864 stayover visitors, tourist air arrivals climbed steadily to 32,356 in July, before a typical decline during the slow season of September and October. In the fourth quarter of last year, with all travel restrictions lifted, the number of stayover tourists reached between 89% and 91% over those three months in 2019. Despite the successful recovery and 1% higher airline seat capacity than pre-pandemic, fourth quarter tourism stats did not, as anticipated, exceed the activity in the same period in 2019. Compared to the record 116,449 air arrivals in the final quarter of that year, Cayman saw 103,650 tourists arriving by air in the last three months of 2022. For the entire year of 2022, Cayman recorded 57% of the pre-pandemic visitation numbers in 2019 – the record year for visitor numbers. “Confidence in the destination due to our measured and phased approach to reopening post the COVID-19 lockdown led to pent up demand which accelerated our visitation volume once all travel restrictions were dropped,” said Rosa Harris, director of tourism in a press release. “The quality of our accommodations and attractions, retail offerings and restaurants as well as a vibrant events calendar, including such notable events as the Capella Music Festival, the Cayman Islands marathon and meetings and incentives groups, continue to drive visitors to the destination.” Longer average stays The United States accounted for 80.8% of all stayover visitors in 2022, while the UK and Ireland was the fastest recovering market, reaching 77% of 2019’s visitation level. Canada even exceeded 2019’s visitor numbers in July, October and December, ending the year at 66% of 2019’s level for 2022 overall. Latin America was the third- fastest recovering market, reaching 60% of 2019’s visitation numbers. Just less than half of all stayover tourists, 46.7%, were repeat visitors to the islands, up from 44.4% in 2019. The average length of stay increased to 7.6 nights in 2022 compared with 5.9 nights three years before. Based on data from STR Inc., which provides statistics on the global hotel industry, the average daily rate for hotels in the destination increased by 12% over 2019, government said in its press release. Cruise arrivals down Cruise ships returned to the Cayman Islands in March 2022. In 2022 overall, 261 ships brought 743,394 cruise tourists to Grand Cayman, down from 1.83 million in the last year before the lockdown caused by the pandemic. In the second half of last year, monthly cruise arrivals ranged from 60% to 73% of the 2019 levels. Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan, said, “Cruise tourism is the epicentre of Caymanian entrepreneurship representing a higher percentage of local business owners than any other aspect of tourism and is a vital part of our tourism offering.” He said government will continue to actively manage the volume of cruise both in terms of the quality of ships in port and the number of passengers who disembark, to “bring cruise tourism back in a measured and sustainable way in 2023”. The minister set an overall visitation goal of 70% of 2019’s statistics for this year. “We anticipate that 2023 will be a momentous year for tourism with a full calendar year of visitors to allow us to reset our seasonality aligned with new expectations for travel post-pandemic,” he said. 2022 tourist arrivals exceed government projections The United States accounted for 80.8% of all stayover visitors in 2022, while the UK and Ireland was the fastest recovering market, reaching 77% of 2019’s visitation level. More than 284,000 visitors arrived by air in the Cayman Islands in 2022. - Photos: Taneos Ramsay After Cayman reopened to cruise tourism in March 2022, 261 cruise ships brought 743,394 tourists to the island. cayman compass 6 news N news WEEKLY, 10-16 FEBRUARY 2023Walkers scholarships give you MORE The Walkers Scholarship and Legal Training Programme is focused on preparing Caymanians like you for a career of excellence. Mentorship, opportunities, reputation, experience - there is so much MORE to discover at Walkers. Bermuda | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands | Dubai | Guernsey | Hong Kong | Ireland | Jersey | London | Singaporewalkersglobal.com Making financial services work Florence Allan, articled clerk, 2021 legal scholarship recipient Applications for legal scholarships, legal internships and articles of clerkship/QWE are now being accepted. Please visit the Careers section of our website. The deadline for applications is 28 February at 5 pm (Cayman time). @WalkersGlobal@WalkersLawFirm cayman compass 7 WEEKLY, 10-16 FEBRUARY 2023MAKE THE FIRST MO E FREE WITH A POSTPAID FAMILY PLAN FOR ONLY $240/MTH BUNDLE AND GET THE SAMSUNG A03 RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky The sighting of ultra-luxury yacht Evrima on the horizon off Grand Cayman on Thursday, 2 Feb. sparked the curiosity of many, but also offered a glimpse into what might be an emerging opportunity for the islands. That’s the view of Marc Langevin, general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, who welcomed the passage of the mega yacht, which is part of the newly launched Ritz- Carlton Yacht Collection. “What we are hearing in Cayman very clearly... people want to go more for quality versus quantity. I think that is the direction for our future. We have the opportunity with The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection to start to move toward and shift to a different business model, and I think that people should be very excited,” he said. Evrima, the first of three custom-built ships for The Ritz- Carlton Yacht Collection, began its inaugural voyage on 15 Oct. 2022, from Barcelona to Nice. It made a brief stop off the coast of Grand Cayman on its way from Panama to Fort Lauderdale. The specially designed yacht measures 190 metres and can accommodate up to 298 passengers, a media release on its launch stated. Ultra-luxury a way forward? The ultra-luxury yacht industry is growing. The Four Seasons hotel chain now has a branded yacht cruise line, and the MSC Group has launched ultra-luxury yachts through its new brand, Explora Journeys. With yachts like Evrima coming online, Langevin said it sets up a new avenue to take Cayman into the luxury cruise industry and provides an opportunity to showcase the islands. “They’re not going to be staying in our hotel. It is not the business model they have... I have rooms, they have rooms... so it’s not that,” said Langevin, who is a past president of the Cayman Islands Tourism Association. He added, “It’s really the solution for what we are seeing. There is going to be potentially a void or a gap if some of the cruise ships are not coming any longer because it’s not convenient for them. With what I’m suggesting, there is potentially a new solution coming on the market. Telling the Cayman story The Evrima will return in December when it calls on Cayman as part of a new experience package being developed by The Ritz- Carlton group. Langevin said it is a timely arrival as the Ministry of Tourism and those in the cruise industry have indicated there will be a reduction over time of larger cruise ships coming to Grand Cayman because the island has decided not to develop docking facilities for mega ships. Langevin said he has discussed this with ministry officials, with a view to building on the experiences that can be offered to visitors on the luxury yachts. He said The Ritz-Carlton is working on building packages for the yacht collection that will give visitors who stay on the boat a chance to enjoy the islands. His vision includes all three islands. “The interesting part of the yacht collection is that they’re not tied to any specific ports because their size allows them to be anywhere,” he said. Additionally, he said Cayman could partner with hotels to create a combination of stayover and cruise. “So that means that you can stay two days or three days on land, experience Cayman and then, as a port of call, you go on the yacht, do your journey four or five days at sea, and then come back to Cayman. So again, much more involvement in our destination, in our product,” he said. Langevin pointed out these yachts do not have the offerings of a typical cruise ship, like multiple restaurants, pools or casinos. This is where the destination can sell itself, he said, by offering Cayman-specific experiences and potentially becoming a port of call. “It will not be mass tourism. It will be more customised experiences for different centres of interests,” he said. Marc Langevin, general manager, The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman. Ultra-luxury yacht cruises offer potential new market Evrima, the first of three custom-built yachts from The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. - Photo: Supplied cayman compass news N news WEEKLY, 10-16 FEBRUARY 2023 8cayman compass 9 WEEKLY, 10-16 FEBRUARY 2023Next >