“We’re just over 30 percent [down] while all of the other Caribbean islands have above pre-covid [cruise arrival] numbers.” – Kenneth Bryan, Cayman Islands tourism minister. (Photo by Brian Major)
At one point during a SOTIC cruise panel discussion, Bryan
asked both Candib to “describe the picture with no pier. What will happen to
the numbers?”
Said Bryan, “My projections are that the numbers will continue
to decline. Right now, we’re just over 30 percent [down] while all of the other
Caribbean islands have above pre-covid [cruise arrival] numbers.”
David Candib, vice president of port operations for
Carnival Cruise Line, confirmed that the newest generation of cruise ships is
unlikely to visit the Cayman Islands.
“I was heavily involved in the prior process as part of the
preferred bidders,” Candib said. “At that point in time we shared that Carnival
Cruise Line [is] looking to build larger ships. We made an operational decision
that those ships won’t call on ports that are tender ports.”
He continued, “Relative to the amount of guests, the
experience [and] the challenges to tender guests and crew in and out, it’s not
the experience we want to offer. With 6,500 to 8,000 guests and another 1,500
to 2,000 crew, it’s just something as a company and an industry we are not
doing with those ships.”
Candib said the Cayman Islands’ lack of a fixed pier has
influenced Carnival’s future deployment away from the western Caribbean. “We
have three mega-ships in operation today, one from Galveston, and two in
Florida,” he said, “and they’re not calling on any destinations that require
tendering.”
Carnival has ordered five new ships, all equal to or bigger
than its largest present-day vessels, Canidib said. “Those ships will replace
ships that would have called at Grand Cayman and the western Caribbean,” he said.
“Since the introduction of the larger ships into the fleet, we have seen a reduction
in calls to Grand Cayman.”
A “domino effect” could hasten the decline in cruise calls
at the Cayman Islands, added Candib. The larger ships “may go on itineraries
that replace ships calling on destinations today that require tendering,” he
noted.
Sasso said that the Cayman Islands’ location makes it a key
port of call on Western Caribbean itineraries, which could wither without a stop
in Grand Cayman available.
“Geographically, you’re in an incredible place,” he said. “When
you think about your [close proximity] to Mexico and Jamaica, it’s almost like
a no-brainer that ships should pass by here and stop and not keep going like
some of the bigger ships are because of the tender situation.”
Cayman Islands citizens must not only face the question of
attracting cruise ships in the future, but also the nature of tourism to the
destination, as additional guests from larger vessels will impact the country and
place new demands on land-based resources.
The destination must also contend with cruise lines that
are, in Candib’s words, “doing port developments on our own” in partnership with
countries including the Bahamas, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Honduras.
“We’re doing that because we need the service,” he said. “These
ships are on order and we know they’re coming. It takes time to work through
all of the environmental impacts elements to make sure mitigate them and [create]
a sustainable facility.”
Meanwhile, pro-cruise interests in the Cayman territory have
formed the Association for the Advancement of Cruise Tourism in the Cayman
Islands (ACT) as a local lobbying group, while CPR Cayman has resurfaced to encourage a “no” vote.
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Publish date : 2024-09-18 07:17:00
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