(CNS): As the fight between the small number of operators and merchants set to gain from cruise ship berthing facilities and those who oppose such damaging development heats up, the Cruise Port Referendum Cayman campaigners have published an online survey.
The activists who succeeded in securing enough signatures in 2019 to trigger a people-initiated referendum on the previous cruise port proposal are urging everyone to take part and express their views on the divisive issue ahead of the government’s planned costly national poll.
“Your input is vital to the future of cruise tourism in Grand Cayman. We invite you to participate in our survey to share your views on the proposed cruise berthing referendum,” Michelle Lockwood, one of the founding members of CPR Cayman, said in a release announcing the online poll.
“The survey addresses critical issues, including environmental impacts, economic considerations, and the prioritisation of government resources. Please take a few moments to contribute your perspective and help guide the decisions that will shape our island’s future,” she added.
The proposed construction of a cruise berthing facility, whatever its location and form, would impact economic opportunities, the way of life on Grand Cayman and the natural environment for generations to come. Therefore, the CPR activists have reignited their campaign, and given the massive implications, they are urging people to reject the idea outright.
However, they are pitched against a well-funded and well-organised pro-cruise berthing lobby that has the support of both the government and the opposition
As a result, they need the support of all those opposed to a pier project, whether on environmental, financial, social, historical or aesthetic grounds, and press home to yet another government, as they did in 2020, that the wider community does not support such a costly and damaging project, especially as the suggested benefits are increasingly hard to see.
“We want to ensure that everybody understands the impact this would mean for themselves, their families and their community,” Lockwood added.
Last month, Cabinet approved Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan’s proposal to hold a one-off referendum just a few months before the general election, asking a simple question to measure the support of voters for some form of unspecified cruise pier.
No date has been set for the vote, no question has been revealed, and so far no legislation has been drawn up to pave the way for this national poll, estimated to cost around $1.2 million.
Bryan has repeatedly said that the decline in cruise ship visits is now having a direct impact on the economy through a drop in passenger fee revenues to a reduction in passenger spending. However, the impact that cruises have on the economy is complex and far from a simple benefit versus damage equation.
Any kind of pier, even the most basic facility, will cause environmental damage, though the severity of that damage can only be understood when there is a project on the table. In addition to the direct risk to Seven Mile Beach or the George Town Harbour wrecks and reefs, there will be a negative impact on local infrastructure, the quality of life for residents and overcrowding at attractions, hurting the more lucrative overnight market.
Nor are the economic benefits touted by those who support the idea of a cruise dock as straightforward as they first appear. While they may bring more passengers to shore, many of the retail offerings in George Town are dated and out of touch with the wants of modern travellers, and sales would not necessarily increase commensurately without a change in the business model of the traditional duty-free stores and souvenir shops.
The jobs created over the years by cruise tourism are now disproportionately held by permit holders. While many small trip operators are still owned by local families, a significant number are largely foreign-owned with sleeping Caymanian partners. In addition, those operators partnering with the cruise lines to sell trips directly to passengers on board receive only a fraction of the ticket price charged.
Executives visiting Cayman this week from two leading cruise lines for a regional tourism conference spoke about a massive revival of cruise tourism post-COVID-19. But this optimistic view, presented by Richard Sasso, chairman of MSC Cruises North America, and David Candib, vice president of port operations at Carnival, does not reflect the reality of the industry.
Candib’s argument that cruise ships will eventually stop calling here unless we build piers has not changed for years, but the industry has changed to the point where many see the loss of some cruise ships as an advantage.
The focus of the cruise sector is less on ports of call as the point of cruising and increasingly on the development of their ships to make them the point of the voyage. Private islands are also becoming an important part of itineraries as the cruise lines seek ways of maximising their onboard profits and keeping their passengers on the ship for as much of their cruise vacation as possible.
As a result, traditional ports like Grand Cayman are becoming nothing more than backdrops to the changing shape of this sector.
Cruising has also proved challenging when it comes to containing outbreaks of serious infections on board poorly maintained vessels. The industry’s poor environmental record, reputation for abusing crews, and tendency to cover up crimes and other unpleasant events aboard ships are well documented and have sullied the sector’s reputation.
The impact of massive and multiple ships calling on small picturesque and environmentally sensitive ports, especially in European destinations, has seen a backlash, with some destinations limiting calls and others looking to end cruise tourism completely. Many destinations regret decisions to build facilities that have failed to deliver on the commitments made by the cruise lines that urged or supported the projects.
All of these issues are the topics that CPR want the wider public to consider against the arguments made by the pro-dock campaign that berthing facilities will automatically convert into more profit for some businesses and are, therefore, worth the potentially long list of negative consequences.
Take the survey here.
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Publish date : 2024-09-06 11:07:00
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