GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands, CMC—The Association for Cruise Tourism (ACT) is urging support for the Cayman Islands’ embrace of cruise berthing infrastructure, saying it is imperative to safeguard the future of the cruise tourism industry in the British Overseas Territory.
Caymanians will vote in a referendum on Wednesday. The same says that the island elects a new government. Among the issues to be voted upon in the referendum is whether or not the Cayman Islands should develop cruise berthing infrastructure.
Speaking at an ACT-sponsored town hall meeting, Alexander Gumbs, the chief executive officer of Port St. Maarten Group, strongly encouraged Caymanians to embrace cruise berthing infrastructure, noting that modern cruise berthing infrastructure is critical to positioning Cayman as a marquee destination in the Western Caribbean and securing opportunities for future generations.
“Yes. St. Maarten is ranked number one for crew expenditure. We are ranked number two when we take Panama out of the ratings for passenger expenditure. We’ve won (a) Seatrade Award in 2023. Our customer experience ratings are one of the highest. We were (one of) the first countries to host the largest cruise ships in the world, 37 square miles, half (the size of) Grand Cayman.
“But my Caribbean people, guess what? I have a (multi) million-dollar investment plan lined up for the next seven years,” Gumbs said, adding that this was to ensure that future generations have an opportunity in their country “to take a little bite out of that beautiful tart that this industry brings to us.”
The cruise tourism industry here has experienced close to 50 percent passenger arrival declines since 2019. Deputy Premier and Minister of Tourism and Ports Kenneth Bryan said that while others dance around the issue, he offered unequivocal support for cruise tourism and the construction of piers.
“I support cruise tourism and I support the building of cruise piers for our sustainability,” Bryan said, praising the ACT’s courage in fighting misinformation and underscoring the importance of the moment in the history of the Cayman Islands.
ACT executive program manager Ellio Solomon told the meeting “that our cruise customers deserve the same service as those coming on a plane.”
Solomon outlined how proper infrastructure would eliminate the need for anchoring and running thrusters for hours, enhance the customer experience, and allow visitors to spend more time and money on the island.
“We are not doing something that we believe is wrong. We are doing something we are convinced is right,” Solomon said, noting that environmental studies had confirmed no adverse impact on beaches or the marine ecosystem with modern cruise berthing.
“We are not just representing ourselves. We are representing the 40 businesses that have been lost and the 3,000 families who depend on this industry for their livelihoods”.
The town hall meeting also addressed common concerns surrounding financing and ownership. ACT representatives explained that modern cruise port projects can be funded through passenger fees and that proper oversight ensures local ownership and opportunity.
They said the opponents’ notion that the government will be saddled with hundreds of millions of dollars in debt is categorically false.
Gumbs said that a well-developed port operation and a supportive tourism community helped St. Maarten rebound more quickly after natural disasters like Hurricane Irma in 2017. He said that thousands of people would have been left unemployed if the cruise industry had not recovered within three months, much faster than the hotel sector.
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