The talk on whether or not a pier needs to be constructed on Grand Cayman heated up this previous week on account of fewer cruise ships visiting the island.
The Affiliation of Cruise Tourism’s (ACT) City Corridor Assembly happened at John Cumber Major Faculty Corridor this previous week as trade officers issued an pressing attraction for cruise berthing amenities on the port.
Since their is not any pier to accommodate cruise ships, cruise passengers should use tenders (water shuttles) to go to the island. Port visits are canceled on account of climate, particularly throughout the winter or hurricane season.
Cruise passenger numbers proceed to drop in comparison with 2018. In 2023, the island noticed 650,000 fewer visitors arrive by way of a cruise ship in comparison with 5 years earlier. Final yr noticed a decline of 838,000 cruisers in comparison with 2018.
A part of the drop is because of cruise strains constructing extra mega ships than ever earlier than. Because of the quantity of visitors that these ships carry, they often keep away from ports the place you may have use tenders.
A Carnival Company government confirmed that new, bigger cruise ships are bypassing the port as a result of lack of a pier.
In distinction to a port that’s lately added ship berths, Nassau, Bahamas noticed a document 5.6 million cruise passengers in 2024, up 1.2 million over the yr earlier than.
The talk a couple of cruise pier at Grand Cayman shouldn’t be new and has been happening for over a decade. 10 years in the past, a novel cable automotive idea was launched as a substitute for constructing a pier. The undertaking by no means moved ahead.
5 years in the past, Cruise Fever reported that Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean have been going to finance a pier that may enable cruise ships to dock at Grand Cayman.
An artist rendering of the piers will be seen beneath.
Sadly, the $200 million undertaking by no means received going and all cruise initiatives have been placed on maintain or canceled months later as a result of 2020 epidemic.
Grand Cayman was once one of many high 5 most visited cruise ports within the Caribbean, however has dropped all the way down to 18th.
Ellio Solomon, Govt Program Supervisor of ACT, gave the next assertion:
“The numbers are dwindling, Cayman was once within the high 5 locations. Now we’re all the way down to 18. There are 3,000 households who depend upon cruise tourism … and if we fail to look out and be our brothers’ keeper and let the cruise trade fail, we’re going to have main issues.”
The subsequent City Corridor Assembly is scheduled for Tuesday, January 21, 2025.
