High-season boon

Wednesday, April 14, 2004

With the 2004 high tourism season now over, many local hotels and tourist attractions have reported an increase in business and visitors compared with last year.

Although it is too early to predict how the summer season will shape up, many tourism industry workers are guardedly hopeful that the busy trend will continue.

Local diving centre, Eden Rock, reported that business thrived over the past quarter, according to Manager, Dave McKay. “The season has been very successful for us,” he said. “It kicked off just after Christmas and peaked in March, although we are still very busy. There is a tendency for business to slow down during the summer season, but it always remains quite steady for us because we have a lot of qualified staff members who can teach.”

Commenting on the overall results of the winter season, Manager of Treasure Island Resort, Jeff Coyne said, “It has gone very well. We have been very busy, with very good numbers.”

Mr Coyne was optimistic in his projections for the summer, “Things are shaping up nicely and pre-bookings are looking quite good compared to prior summers.”

Willy Giger, Manager of the Marriott Resort, agreed. “The season has gone very well,” he said, “We are extremely pleased with what we were able to achieve. The new season is looking good, but it is too early to tell.”

With the off-season just starting, Lee Foster from Avis Cico Rent A Car, also feels it is still too soon to make any definite predictions. “We have been doing very well, but it is too early to say how the summer season will pan out. The forward booking window does not stretch that far ahead, but we are looking fairly strong until the end of April, which is always a good indication.”

Manager of the Crow’s Nest restaurant, Ernest Foster, is also feeling positive about the upcoming season, “The winter season was good, a lot better than the last,” he said, “I think this year is going to be much better.”

Cayman Net News was unable to get an official tourism forecast for the rest of this election year by press time from the Ministry of Tourism due to the Easter holidays.

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