As travel to the Caribbean surges in the wake of the pandemic, the Cayman Islands is taking a slow and steady approach to growing tourism.
The three-island destination does not intend to expand its tourism offerings too quickly, with “quality over quantity” being the key, Cayman Islands Tourism and Ports Minister Kenneth Bryan told TMR.
Brian also currently serves as President of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) and spoke to TMR at the recent Caribbean Week in New York City.
“The North American market is essential to us and we don’t see that changing much because it’s close,” Bryan said. “It’s close. Travelers don’t want to spend long hours on planes and they want warmth and hospitality.”
The Cayman Islands has strong ties to North America, where 80% of its visitors come from, and the country is adding new hotels and monitoring air capacity to continue providing the highest quality experience for its visitors.
New Hotel
The Cayman Islands’ tourist room count reached 8,000 with the opening of Hotel Indigo Grand Cayman earlier this year. Hotel Indigo Grand Cayman offers 282 rooms and the island’s first rooftop restaurant and bar, plus an infinity pool overlooking the ocean, meeting and event space and dining.
Next year, the country is expected to see the opening of three new hotels, ONE GT, Kailani and Grand Hyatt Grand Cayman Hotel & Residences, bringing its room count to more than 9,000.
Currently under construction and scheduled to open in 2025, ONE GT is ideal for business travelers as it is close to the airport and the financial sector remains the largest in the Cayman Islands. It has a library with plenty of workspace and will offer both rooms and residences.
Kailani, a Hilton Curio Collection, will feature 80 rooms and suites and is scheduled to open in summer 2025. The Grand Hyatt property will feature a mix of rooms and residences set in a beachside resort with restaurants, meeting space and a spa.
Air Transport Update
Brian was pleased to report that all major airlines are maintaining or adding service to the Cayman Islands.
“We work closely with airlines to inform them about what’s being sold online, look at trends and where people are coming from, and even make routes more direct,” Bryan said.
Southwest Airlines has added daily nonstop flights between Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Owen Roberts International Airport (GCM) this summer, and American Airlines will begin daily nonstop flights between Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Grand Cayman Island in December.
Cayman Airways, the country’s national airline, also gives the country an advantage in controlling flight schedules according to demand.
The rise of wellness
Whether you stay on the bustling leisure island of Grand Cayman or venture to smaller, less populated islands like Little Cayman and Cayman Brac for diving and caving, the Cayman Islands offer a wide range of activities for visitors. Grand Cayman is especially known for its famous Seven Mile Beach and Stingray City, where visitors can feed sea creatures.
In addition to the quintessential sand and sea experience, more guests than ever are seeking wellness retreats when visiting the Cayman Islands.
“There’s a lot more emphasis on planning vacations, rather than just showing up and figuring out what to do when you get there,” Bryan says. “Wellness is becoming a big part of that.”
Vida Cayman Island, a luxury boutique hotel that opened a few years ago, is one example of a place where tourists can go for a curated wellness trip. The hotel offers guests personalized wellness consultations, and guests can enrich their stay with fitness classes, spa treatments, healing sessions, and more.
Bryan said it is this type of personalized, quality service, particularly in the wellness sector, that the Cayman Islands will “hold fast” to in terms of future tourism growth.
