Editorial: Our tourism is in trouble - Cayman Net News

[Anguillan newsboy]

According to the statistics published online by the Department of Tourism, tourist air arrivals by month, up to and including September 2007, have recovered more or less to the pre-Ivan levels of 2003/4.
However, that historical point represented part of a declining trend that began in 2000, the same year the DoT removed returning residents from the arrivals figures, thus rendering the numbers for earlier years unreliable, even though an attempt was made to “adjust” them.
The total air tourist arrivals for 2006 represented about three-quarters of the adjusted total for 2000.
Tourist cruise arrivals, on the other hand, showed a consistently increasing trend from 2000 until April of this year (disregarding the hiatus resulting from Ivan). Since April, most months – the exception being May – show significant declines, with the last two months reported at the time of writing (August and September) being down 30 percent and 37 percent respectively.
Clearly, our tourism industry is in trouble, notwithstanding the Minister for Tourism’s denial of the obvious.
So, how does the situation we apparently find ourselves in compare to that of our regional neighbours?
Co-incidentally, there has been a steady flow of tourism related news from within the region during the last few days, and most if not all of it is encouraging, in contrast to the seemingly bleak outlook we are facing.
Resorts in St Lucia are reporting a 400 percent increase in business from the British and wider European markets.
St Kitts is expecting its best-ever cruise ship season, and has announced some substantial new high-end tourism development projects.
Anguilla, through marketing and promotional efforts in the UK market, achieved remarkable growth of 35.8% in 2006.
Closer to home, Jamaica has recorded a 45 percent increase in stay-over arrivals so far this year, with another good year projected for 2008. Jamaica is also embarking on a programme to enhance customer service in the tourism industry.
According to its Tourism Minister, Jamaica is targeting, by means of personal visits, Russia, China, India, Japan, Chile, Mexico, and Brazil, as well as Europe.
Jamaica is also pressing ahead with several training programmes designed to provide the country’s tourism industry with the 15,000 world cl*** workers that will be needed to satisfy the staff needs of additional hotels and increased room stock
And if that were not enough, Jamaica is aiming to attract more upmarket developers as part of a drive to reposition the island as a luxury destination.
What are we doing to preserve, and hopefully increase our share of the market? Certainly nothing innovative or unique that we can see. What has been presented to us with much fanfare as the latest in tourism development turns out to be no more than what everyone else is doing – hardly a recipe for competitive improvement.
We were told that the Cayman PRIDE programme to enhance customer service will “differentiate” us from other destinations, until we find out that everyone else is doing the same thing.
We were told that we were going to be repositioned as a destination for the rich and famous. Well, so are other countries, with a lot more to offer than we have in terms of natural attractions.
All we are doing it seems is struggling to stay in the game, without any hope at this point of getting ahead of it.
And on top of everything else, there is great concern being expressed regarding the impact of the credit crisis in the United States, which if not actually a recession is certainly leading to an economic slowdown and a significant reduction in disposable cash for vacations and cruises.
It is crystal clear, therefore, that we are facing some serious problems and, lest anyone think we are being alarmist, just read the many comments from our readers in response to the recent National Geographic Traveler survey.
The next few years are definitely going to be a case of survival of the fittest and, the way things are looking, we do not fall into that desirable category.
We urgently need effective management and development of our tourism sector and, if the current Minister for Tourism cannot provide it, then he needs to be changed – because change is good.