Despite being a relatively small and simple cruise port, George Town, Grand Cayman, has made its mark in the cruise industry – with the three terminals welcoming around 2.1 million cruise guests annually.
That said, the capital of the Cayman Islands is looking to further its local cruise tourism industry by incentivizing the cruise ships to stay in the Western Caribbean port longer – such as by encouraging overnight visits.
In order to do this, Minister of Tourism and Ports Kenneth Bryan is working to change the rules so that cruise ships can operate their onboard casinos while in Caymanian waters, which is currently illegal. In fact, all forms of gambling in general are illegal on the islands.
However, the ship casinos are a key source of profit for the cruise lines – so allowing these facilities to operate while in port could potentially lead to extended stays in the port.
“I personally think I can convince my colleagues to support that. I don’t think that would be too controversial. But we would only do that if there was a true benefit in it for the Cayman Islands,” Minister Bryan told Cayman Compass.
Of course, the rule change would come with a couple of conditions, which are designed to benefit the local economy and wellbeing of the locals.
First, the cruise ships would not be allowed to open their casinos until a certain time in the afternoon or evening to make sure passengers have had a good opportunity to explore the port before they return to their slot machines and tabletop games.
Second, only cruise passengers would be permitted to take part in gambling – and the activities must stay onboard. Cayman Island residents would not be allowed to board the ship to enjoy the casino and guests could not take their bets shoreside.
Improvements in Infrastructure
Cruise tourism is incredibly important to the economy of the Cayman Islands – with finance and tourism commonly referred to as the two pillars of the Cayman Islands economy.
However, officials are seeing signs that the most popular cruise port of George Town, Grand Cayman, is starting to suffer because it does not currently have a pier.
Instead, up to four ships can anchor in the port at a time and ferry their guests into town via tender boats – which only takes about five minutes each way.
However, some of the mainstream brands, including Carnival and Royal Caribbean, have thus far refused to tender their larger vessels – making Georgetown inaccessible for these mega-ships.
In fact, a recent report from the local Economics and Statistics Office found that the Cayman Islands lost up to 419,026 cruise guests in 2024 largely because there is no pier for bigger ships to dock at.
Minister Bryan warned that if something doesn’t change, “the ripple effects of a decline in cruise tourism would be felt right across our economy.”
However, it does seem that change is afoot. In the first sitting of the 2024-2025 season, the Parliament of the Cayman Islands unanimously voted to move forward with a cruise berthing referendum that will be voted on as part of the 2025 general election next year.
Read Also: Grand Cayman Cruise Port – Terminals, Tendering and Getting Around
“Whatever government is elected in 2025 will have the mandate to build pier infrastructure, and to explore whatever enhancements they believe the country needs and our community will support,” said former legislator Ellio Solomon on behalf of the Association for the Advancement of Cruise Tourism.
The referendum comes after officials announced a $240 million renovation was in the works for George Town – which the building of the new pier could potentially be part of.
If a new pier and gambling in port become a reality, there is no telling how much growth the local tourism industry might experience.
