EDITORIAL

Making George Town a capital to be proud of

Tuesday,  February 14, 2006

Many visitors to the Cayman Islands who arrive here on cruise ships go away believing that George Town is a unique but not so attractive capital. And in parts it certainly is, however any passengers who have strayed a little from the beaten tourist path may have an entirely different impression of the Cayman Islands’ capital.

Visitors who find themselves on Eastern Avenue, Shedden Road or any of the other streets behind the downtown area would be forgiven for wondering exactly where they have ended up – surely not the world’s fifth biggest financial centre and a luxury Caribbean tourist destination.

The campaign by the Ministry and the Department of Tourism, to up the pace and change the tourist product here from ‘good to great’ is admirable and one which the entire country will benefit from should it succeed.

However, as noted previously on these pages it is going to take more than a smile and friendly welcome from members of the industry to reverse the current downward trend in the stay-over sector of tourism here.

The industry should seize the opportunity to really clean up our capital. To extend its range and to beautify the whole of George Town.

No doubt phase one has to be the creation of a pedestreanised area in down town where vehicles are completely diverted and tourists may walk freely from shop to shop without having to run the gauntlet of heavy traffic.

Further development, however, should focus on the areas beyond down town to make the rest of George Town look as attractive as the streets around the harbour front.

We need to see both the public and private sector working together to make the Cayman Islands’ capital worthy of a high-end tourist destination.

From leaving rubbish piled on streets, to potholes, the community as a whole should be vigilant in ensuring tourists see the best of our capital and not the worst.

Shop and office fronts, parking areas, sidewalks, construction sites under development, all could, with a concerted effort and investment from both private and public sector sources, be cleaned up to transform the town’s appearance, and in return attract more investment.

If we are serious about the aim to go from ‘good to great’ we need to create environments that tourists want to be in and where more retailers and restaurants want to invest in and provide their services.

To achieve the goal the country needs to clean-up and in particular the capital. We need to make every area of George Town from top to bottom look as attractive as the harbour front areas.

Whether it means complete redevelopment in some areas or just a makeover in others, we need to find the money within our community to make a difference.

If we create memorable lasting impressions on our visitors they in turn will report their experiences to other friends and families encouraging more visitors.

And when we finally see our tourist figures rising again we will begin to reap the rewards of the investment we have made.

The aesthetics of a tourist destination are an equally important part of the package, as the service, the quality of accommodation or the variety of amenities.

People on vacation walk far more in their chosen destination than they do in their day-to-day lives at home and observe and take in their surroundings.

Where they would not notice, broken pavements or piled up rubbish in their hometown, these things undermine their holiday experience.

The Cayman Islands is a beautiful place – but it could be stunning with a little more thought, commitment and investment.

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