Running head: TRAVEL AND TOURISM CAYMAN

Travel and Tourism Cayman

Jeoffery Walton
International College of the Cayman Islands
BE-434: Seminar on Travel and Tourism

TRAVEL AND TOURISM CAYMAN

Introduction
People travel for various reasons around the globe; included for the purpose of the trip for
vacation or business. These travels help make up the global tourism industry that generates
trillion of dollars for many economies around the world. Much like other islands in the region,
the tourism sector has become the main industry for the Cayman Islands and including banking
both make up approximately seventy to eighty percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). To
help manage the industry, the government of the Cayman Islands has structured organizations to
ensure that the Islands remain competitive and grow within the tourism market. Throughout the
three islands, several resorts provide accommodations and services for tourists who visit. In
addition to the accommodation and services, the islands offer an array of activities, scenic
views, and a natural environment to be explored by visitors. In this paper, I will relate my
experiences through my Travel and Tourism Seminar.
Travel and Tourism Topic Exploration
According to the author Reece (2010), tourism includes traveling to visit friends and
family or going on vacation that becomes some of our happiest memories. It also includes
traveling for business, such as attending a conference. This experience can be considered an
exciting break from the normal routine work. The industry includes many experiences, such as
amusement parks, historical sites, excellent restaurants, cruise ships, and wonderful destinations
and attractions like the Cayman Islands. The World Tourism Organization (WTO) defines
tourism as the activities of persons traveling away from their usual surroundings for up to one
year for leisure, business, or other purposes, but not including activities where the traveler is
paid for the place visited (Reece, 2010, p. 1 & 2). However, according to the Department of
Tourism website, the Immigration Law of the Cayman Islands defines a visitor as a person

TRAVEL AND TOURISM CAYMAN

arriving in the Islands for a period not exceeding more than six months otherwise than for a
professional, financial trade or business purpose or for the seeking of or engaging in
employment.
The tourism industry, explained Reece (2010), has a broad mix of people and
organizations that take part in tourism activities, such as consumers, workers, business and
property owners, investors, private organizations, governments, and many others. As a huge
global industry, tourism provides services to millions of people, employment and investment
returns, tax payments to governments, the disruption of the evolution of local regions. In 2005,
the WTO estimated that the total global spending on international tourism, including passenger
transport, amounted to more than $800 billion. The purpose of the industry is to create value for
tourism consumers goods and services, for example, meals in restaurants, hotel stays, travels
and many other services. Of course, governments around the world have had substantial
impacts on tourism, as well as they, promote the industry in various ways. For instance,
governments provide direct cash subsidies, subsidized facilities, river and seaport facilities,
airports and roads, advertising and safety regulation. However, governments have also
discouraged tourism in some ways. One of the most direct and most frequent ways
governments can discourage tourism is through taxation. The implementation of regulations
that protect the environment also impacts tourism (Reece, 2010, p.3 & 5).
The Seminar Experience
According to the Cayman Islands Compendium of Statistics 2015 report (2016), the
Cayman Islands had a total of 2.1 million tourists arriving by air and sea in 2015. Included in
that number were 385, 000 arriving by air (stay over tourists), of which 75.7% are Americans,
8.9% from Europe, 6.3% from Canada and 9.1% from other countries. Whereas cruise arrivals

TRAVEL AND TOURISM CAYMAN

to the islands have been up and down since 2010 to 2015, air arrivals have seen a steady
increase. Furthermore, there is a difference in spending between cruise passengers and stay
over visitors. For example, in 2012, the report states that stay over visitors estimated spending
per night was CI$241.00, and they visited for an average of five days. While, cruise visitors
spent an estimated CI$84.00 and stayed less than a day as per the Cayman Islands
Compendium of Statistics 2015 report (2016).
However, according to the Minister of District Administration, Tourism and Transport
(DAT& T), Mr. Moses Kirkconnell, not only does cruise tourism help the economy but its an
excellent marketing tool, as many tourists who visit by air first arrived in the islands via cruise
ship (Minister of DAT& T, personal communication September 3, 2016). Furthermore, much
like stay over visitors, cruise tourists pay taxes to the government and bring much-needed
business to small businesses, such as duty-free and souvenir shops, water sports, and
transportation, the head of the Department of Tourism (DOT) Mrs. Rosa Harris explained.
Therefore, the government remains committed to cruise tourism, as it's a key revenue earner
and strong contributor to our tourism industry. Mrs. Harris went on to explain that just last year
alone; 1.7 million tourists arrived at our shores via cruise ships. Therefore, cruise tourism is
equally important to the Cayman Islands (Rosa Harris, personal communication, August 11,
2016).
Unfortunately, however, not all tourists disembark the cruise ships due to the short time in
port and the inconvenience of having to take a small boat to shore, explained Mr. Kirkconnell.
As a result, many passengers decide to remain onboard. Moreover, larger ships are bypassing
Cayman because they dont want to drop anchor. This is one good reason why the government
is so keen on building a cruise berthing facility in the capital. Additionally, the redevelopment

TRAVEL AND TOURISM CAYMAN

of the Owen Roberts Airport is happening now and should be fully completed by 2020. When
completed, the airport will add to the travelers experience, explained the Minister (Minister of
DAT& T, personal communication, September 3, 2016).
Moreover, to help increase the value to visitors experience and expectations during their
visit to our beautiful shores, the DOT is responsible for inspecting and licensing all
accommodation properties within the three Islands, Mrs. Harris explained. This requirement is
in place to ensure that rental properties are up to the DOTs standard. Mrs. Harris explained
that not many destinations have such a policy and structure in place. For instance, the DOTs
inspection team is the secretariat to the Tourism Board, which is made up of a broader sector,
such as the Fire, Planning, and Police departments to ensure safety and security for our visitors.
She further enlightened that here in the Cayman Islands, we have a Tourism Law that gives the
DOT the authority to help manage our product (Rosa Harris, personal communication, August
11, 2016).
Also, the DOT is responsible for marketing all three islands as a premier destination to
visit. This is achieved through vigorous marketing strategies, including partnerships with the
principal stakeholders both locally and overseas. For example, the DOT uses several media
houses and outlets to market the Cayman Kind brand. Currently, their target market is North
America based on the income demographics. Their strategy is to target a high-income segment
of the population overseas and bring them to our shores (Rosa Harris, personal communication,
August 11, 2016).
Another key organization in Caymans tourism industry is the Cayman Islands Tourism
Association (CITA). According to CITAs boss, Mr. Kenneth Hydes, CITA first started in 2001,
and has been around for fifteen years forming a unified membership of 215 members from the

TRAVEL AND TOURISM CAYMAN

tourism industry. They have a Board of Directors that is responsible for the oversight of the
organization. The associations primary objective is to train its members to deal with the central
issues such as crime and safety of our visitors. Although they advocate for their members, they
take the approach of partnering with the DOT, the Ministry, and other key stakeholders like the
Police and Department of Health etc. to finds solutions to help fix the problem from a national
level (Kenneth Hydes, personal communication, August 11, 2016).
In the Cayman Islands, one resort that lives up to the expectations of our local tourism
product is the Ritz Carlton. According to the hotel manager, Mr. Kapil Sharma, the cooperation
operates eighty-four similar resorts around the world. However, the properties are not owned
by the Ritz Carlton but rather managed by them. Some developers rather build a resort and
have a well-established cooperation like the Ritz manage their investments to make a profit.
High-end guest around the globe are then drawn to the Ritzs brand, as they know what to
expect when they visit their resorts. Mr. Kapil went on the explain that the resort in Grand
Cayman sits on 134 acres and extends from the Seven Mile Beach to the North Sound (sea to
sea). The resort consist of 370 rooms and offers natural scenery for its guest. During the peak
season, the resort is at full capacity and it takes 820 employees (64 different nationalities) to
keep the hotel running efficiently. In addition to the natural scenery, such as the white sandy
beach with clear crystal turquoise waters, the resort includes a pool, water sports activities, a
13,000 square foot conference room, water park for children, fitness center, a huge ballroom,
retail shops, and a spa for their guest and visitors to enjoy (Kapil Sharma personal
communication, August 11, 2016).
Normally, the lowest cost for a room at the Ritz is US$800.00 per night, but its largest
suite, which is 24,000 square feet with eleven rooms rents for US$40,000.00 per night. Its

TRAVEL AND TOURISM CAYMAN

annual revenue is estimated at 1.2 million dollars, but out of this amount the resort contributes
approximately 55 million to the local economy. For example, most of its services and products
to keep the resort running are purchased locally. What it cannot source locally is imported
regularly to offer the freshest and best produce etc. for its guests. Included in the 55m, is 2.5m
dollars that is paid to the government yearly for accommodation taxes (6m), import duty (3m),
work permit fees (2m), and 1.5m in airport taxes (Kapil Sharma personal communication,
August 11, 2016).
Nested away in the eastern district of East End is another brand named hotel, the
Wnydam Cayman Reef Resort Grand Cayman. According to the resort manager, Mr. Ganetan
Badin, the resort offers a different side of Cayman with its natural beauty of a beach enclosed
by reef. The resort lives up to its name as being customer focused. The resort originally
opened its doors for business as the Cayman Reef Resort, however, not many visitors to our
islands were drawn to the property, as they were not familiar with the name and location. As a
result, the developers and owners decided to partner with the Wnydam for its world-renowned
name. The resort has 152 rooms, and all overlook a white sandy beach and sea. Located in a
low developed area of Grand Cayman, the resort sells it product based on relaxing on uncrowded beach while enjoying the view of the clear crystal Caribbean Sea. Apart from its
scenic views and relaxation, the resort has other amenities for its guest to enjoy, such as a
restaurant and bar that includes a live band for night entertainment. Also, it offers water sports
activities, including scuba diving and snorkeling excursions directly from its facilities, and Yoga
and water aerobics (Ganetan Badin personal communication, August 12, 2016).
Slated to open its doors to business in November of this year, the Kimpton Seafire Resort
and Spa Seven Mile Beach Grand Cayman will be another brand named resort in the Islands,

TRAVEL AND TOURISM CAYMAN

explained Ms. Kylie Fitzgibbons. The resort is located on the famous Seven Mile Beach and
will be managed by the Kimpton. When it opens, it will add a further 266 rooms to lodgings
availability in the Islands. Started by its founder, Mr. Bill Kimpton back in 1981 in San
Francisco, California, the resort markets itself as being pet friendly (Kylie Fitzgibbons personal
communication, August 12, 2016).
According to Ms. Kylie Fitzgibbons, the only limit is that the animal must fit through the
door, so if you have an elephant and it can fit through the door they will accept it. This means
that guests can bring a pet and stay at the resort. By doing this, the Kimpton has differentiated
and positioned itself to target a segment of the market. However, according to Ms. Fitzgibbons,
only two floors of the hotel will be used for guest and their pets. The rest of the hotel will be
allocated for visitors to stay. Furthermore, separated from the hotel will be a building for
residents only, but they would benefit from all the amenities and events the hotel has to offer.
For example, the hotel will have a pool, beach, restaurants, spa, events, water sports, retail
shops etc. (Kylie Fitzgibbons personal communication, August 12, 2016).
Just eighty miles from Grand Cayman, lay the sister islands of Cayman Brac and Little
Cayman. Easily accessible by aircraft, Cayman Airways offers regular flights to the sister
islands using their Boeing 737- 300 planes and smaller aircraft services. The larger of the two
Islands, Cayman Brac features its limestone Bluff that runs through the center of the island and
takes up most of the landmass of the Brac, Mr. Philip Smith explained. Mr. Smith went on to
explain that the Bluff starts from sea level and rises to 150 feet above sea-level, and has several
natural caves for one to explore. Although the Brac does not have seven miles of sandy beach,
it makes up for it with scenic views and great underworld scenery for scuba drivers.
Furthermore, its very much under-developed with a small population of approximately fifteen

TRAVEL AND TOURISM CAYMAN

hundred residents who instill Cayman Kind to its visitors. Being under-developed, the Brac
also offers a relaxed and tranquil environment that most tourists to the island enjoy (Philip
Smith personal communication, September 3, 2016). Having the opportunity to visit the Brac
Museum to see the vast collection of artifacts, I understood from Mrs. Lisa McFarlane, the
museums hostess, that the island once had 12 miles of white sandy beach that were washed
away by waves during the1932 Hurricane (Lisa McFarlane personal communication, September
3, 2016).
After an island tour, which included the scenic view from the Light House and entering
two magnificent caves, we visited the Le Soleil dOr, (The Golden Sun) and its 20-acre organic
farm. At the farm, tropical fruits and vegetables are grown without any fertilizers or pesticides
for guests. The whole concept is farm-to-table, providing their guests with wholesome organic
dishes from their restaurant. Most of what is served to guests is grown on the farm, including
the chicken eggs. Also, their many spices and tasteful jams are made from the crops that they
grow. According to Le Soleil dOr website, the resort is a five-star wellness farm-to-table resort
that includes a hotel, fully furnished villas, cottage or lodge for its visitor. Built in 2002, the
resort is planned to have its official opening this year.
Taking a boat ride from Scotts Dock in the Brac to Jacksons Point, we arrived in Little
Cayman to experience what the island has to offer to its visitors. There, we were greeted by our
tour guide, Mr. Michael Jackson, who took us around the island to witness several nature sites,
such as the Tarpon Lake, Jacksons Pond, Mule Pen, and Preston Bay Iguana Nesting
Sanctuary. Mr. Jackson explained that after Hurricane Paloma all the trees that fell in the ponds
have been left as they are, and the same for the beaches that were eroded because the island
concept is around ecotourism (Michael Jackson personal communication, September 4, 2016).

TRAVEL AND TOURISM CAYMAN

10

To add to their concept, the island is home to the Central Caribbean Marine Institute
(CCMI), which is a nonprofit organization mainly funded through private sponsorships and
government grants. According to the field supervisor, Mr. Peter Quilliam, the center was
founded back in 1998 and broke ground in 2003, the same day Prince Edward of England was
visiting the island. Since then, the Prince has been a patron of CCMI. Mr. Quilliam explained
that the founders decided to capitalize on Little Cayman because the reefs surrounding the
island provide an excellent location to study the marine ecosystem. For example, students from
around the world come and study the ecosystems to gain insight on how best to protect our
marine life in the region and around the world. Currently, they are considering how best to
farm coral and have set up a farm just outside the reef from the center. Also, they are studying
how best to control the Lion Fish species that has invaded the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic
Ocean. In addition to the studies being conducted, the students and their professors are visitors
and therefore the center brings ecotourism to the island (Peter Quilliam personal
communication, September 4, 2016)
Learning and Application
During this seminar exploration, I have had the opportunity to better understand the
definition of tourism, how the industry works and what it contributes to an economy. Also, I
now have a better understanding of the various roles and responsibilities of the different
governmental organizations. Additionally, I have learned how brand named companies such as
the Ritz are not owners of the properties they operation, but rather contracted by property
owners to manage the resorts. Furthermore, I have seen firsthand the quality of our
accommodations and services provided to our visitors. Moreover, I was able to experience the
diversity of our tourism product; for example, what the sister islands have to offer our tourists.

TRAVEL AND TOURISM CAYMAN

11

However, it is important that we continue to provide a safe and secure environment for
our visitors, such as maintaining a low crime rate. As a senior manager in Customs, I plan to
ensure that Customs continue to be robust in managing cross-border transactions for the safety
and security of visitors, citizens and the environment. Also, that we keep using best practices,
such as partnerships with the major stakeholders to offer great facilitation for arriving tourists
and goods imported for consumption.
Limitations
Unfortunately, during the seminar I was not able to board visiting cruise ships in Grand
Cayman to meet with their personnel. Although the subject book has detailed information on
cruise tourism, it would have been an excellent opportunity for me to understand how the
industry operates locally with intermediates to provide value for their cruise tourists. Also, while
in Little Cayman, I did not have the opportunity to meet with resort personnel to understand how
they operate and provide value for their guests.
Summary and Conclusion
In closing, it is important to comprehend the definition of tourism as many people travel
around the world for different reasons. Tourism is well defined as it includes travelling to visit
friends and family, going on vacation or for business, such as a conference, but it does not
include when a person is being paid for their business trip. Having a tourism industry has aided
growth in many economies and development of governmental organizations, which has helped
countries remain competitive. As a result, many countries like the Cayman Islands have
developed the industry into a national product differentiating them and providing customer value
for tourists. This includes having stakeholders relationships that provide excellent
accommodations and activities that encourage new and repeated visits.

12

TRAVEL AND TOURISM CAYMAN

References
Le Soleil dOr. Retrieved from
http://www.lesoleildor.com/
Reece, W. S. (2010). The economics of tourism. College of business and economics: West
Virginia University
The Cayman Islands Compendium of Statistics 2015 (2016). Retrieved from
http://www.eso.ky/2015compendiumofstatistics.html#2
The Department of Tourism. Retrieve from
http://www.caymanislands.ky/