Cayman in top five world cruise stops

Paul Hurlston	Cruise Ships line up in George Town Harbour

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Even after the onslaught of Hurricane Ivan last September, the Cayman Islands is fifth in the world among the preferred ports of call for cruise ships and the cruise sector here is doing very well. 

“We can get up to eight ships in one day and there have been times when we have had to turn down ships or else that number could go up to as many as fifteen,” explained Director of the Port Authority, Paul Hurlston.

“We try to limit the number of ships in any given day based on the landing area and other facilities we have available on Island.” 

In an industry where the Caribbean continues to attract more cruise traffic than any other region and is expected to have 52 per cent of the worldwide passenger capacity in 2005, the Cayman Islands seems to be sailing away ahead of other destinations even though the Islands have smaller and fewer facilities than some other destinations.

“The fact is that we have no berthing facilities and boats have to be tendered in by smaller vessels,” Mr Hurlston explained.

“As well, there are other destinations that may be more beautiful, like Jamaica, but the Cayman Islands is seen as a preferred destination and this perception is growing.

“The Cayman Islands is seen as offering a relatively clean and safe environment. As well, a large number of cruise ship passengers are heavily in to water sports and Cayman has a lot of that to offer.

“Moreover, our Port Authority does not advertise for cruise business but I know that others do. We are fortunate in this regard.

“The Cayman Islands has its own mystique – what with the information about the Islands that is known abroad and the fact that the Islands offer a comparatively relaxed atmosphere,” Mr Hurlston said.

According to Mr Hurlston, taken from any angle, there is no specially created formula that underpins the buoyancy of the industry.

“People may speculate on the reason behind the fact that the cruise shipping industry flourishes so well here. The fact is that we conduct business with the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) as well as with other lines, but the FCCA has a membership that includes 90 per cent of all the cruise lines that operate in the western area of which the Cayman Islands is a part,” Mr Hurlston said.

FCCA member cruise lines include Carnival, Celebrity X Cruises, Costa, Cunard, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Radisson Seven Seas Cruises, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Seabourn, Topaz International Cruises, Windstar Cruises.

Explaining that the cruise shipping industry is a highly technical one with respect to the way it is organised and why travel has peaks and ebbs on certain days and at certain times of the year, Mr Hurlson said, “The Cayman Islands is listed with Florida, Mexico, Belize, Cayman, Jamaica, Haiti, Bahamas and Florida among Western Caribbean Cruises. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays are our busy days because cruises generally spend the weekend in Miami where they began.”

No increase in the number of cruise ship passengers to the Caribbean in 2005 is expected when compared with 2004. This absence of an increase differs from 2004 when numbers were up five per cent; 2003 when numbers rose 13 per cent and 2002 when there was also an increase by16 per cent.

However, the fact still remains that for 2005 the Cayman Islands is set to continue to capture a significant portion of the estimated 6.5 million passengers that, Caribbean Industry News estimates, will be cruise ship travellers to the Caribbean this year.

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