Cayman Islands Update

[DannyS]

http://www.caymannetnews.com/2004/10/744/cruiseships.shtml

 

Cruise Ships may be here before the end of the month

 

Friday, October 15, 2004

Joseph Woods of the Port Authority told a Chamber of Commerce meeting last week that the south terminal could handle two cruise ships a day from 29 October.

 

The Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce held two meetings with local business owners, on Thursday 7 October at their office in Macdonald Square. The meetings were intended to establish the impact of Hurricane Ivan on Cayman Islands businesses and the information gathered during both meetings was used to formulate an ‘Action Plan’ that would facilitate business recovery.

 

At the morning meeting, Chamber CEO, Mr Wil Pineau, listened as over 40 representatives of local businesses, including merchants, duty-free stores, and tour operators, gave a brief description of the damage they had suffered, when they expected to be open, and what resources they could offer to help other businesses.

 

Staff accommodation was quickly identified as one of the main problems and several ideas were put forward, including a 1,020-berth cruise ship offering temporary accommodation.

 

Representing the Port Authority, Mr Woods added that the north terminal’s damage was serious and suggested that it would not be operational again until the end of November or early December.

 

The tone of many business owners was optimistic, with many reporting that they were ready to start receiving cruise ship customers.

 

Paul Dedrick, representing the ‘merchants from Hell’ (a phrase which caused a welcome ripple of laughter), said: “The main problem is no power and no phones, but apart from that, we’re ready to rock and roll.”

 

It was agreed that the number of operational tour buses available would be of paramount importance, as tourists who came and had to stand around waiting were likely to be disappointed with their visit and would not come back again.

 

Of particular concern was the fate of the stingrays at Stingray City. Apparently many of the stingrays had fled during the hurricane. It was agreed that the remaining ones should be fed to stop them from disappearing.

 

During the morning meeting, a sub-committee concerned with logistical issues regarding cruise-ship passengers was formed, and included representatives from the Port Authority, the CITA, the Cayman Islands Land Sea Cooperative, a tour operator and the police. The sub-committee went into action immediately by spending the afternoon discussing the damage to the cruise-ship terminals with Port Authority officials.

 

During the afternoon meeting, representatives from the Council of Associations, including the Banker’s Association, the Cayman Islands Compliance Association, and the Insurance Managers Association of Cayman met to discuss the implications of hurricane-related damage, and to also establish an ‘action plan,’ aimed at getting Cayman business back on its feet.