Up Front
Tourism Minister,concerned North Side residents and business people agree
Airfares Overpriced
North Side residentand businessman, Mr. Bo Miller chaired the meeting
At the meeting: TheHon. Edna Moyle, Minister for Community Development, Women's Affairs,Youth and Sports and MLA for North Side; the Hon. McKeeva Bush,Minister for Tourism, Environment and Transport; Mr. Harding Watler,Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Mr. Charles Clifford,Senior Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, and Mrs. AngelaMartins, Director of Tourism
There was general consensus among the TourismMinister, North Side residents and business people, in a TownHall Meeting Tuesday evening (13 March), that airfares to theCayman Islands, as well as the price of other tourism productsin the islands are far too high.
At the meeting of tourism officials, residentsand representatives of the business sector at the Craddock EbanksCivic Centre, Minister of Tourism, the Hon. McKeeva Bush saidthat if the Cayman Islands want to benefit as a high-end touristdestination, there needs to be a thorough examination of its airfares,as well as the costs of its tourism products.
Mr. Bush said while his Ministry does nothave a direct responsibility for the national carrier, the matterwill be incorporated in a review currently being done on airlinesconnected to the Cayman Islands.
"The problem of high airfares doesnot only rest on the Cayman Airways; it's a problem that involvesother airlines that frequent this route," Mr. Bush told thegathering of about 70. "Also, the private sector must takea look at their costs because government cannot fix their prices,neither can we look at the players pricing structure."
Participants at the meeting noted that sincethe airlines and tourism go 'hand-in-hand', there should be areduction in the fares, imposed by the national carrier, to benefitboth the visitors and the country.
As the national carrier, Cayman Airwayshas the authority to set a price, which the other airlines follow.Accommodation and other products were also said to be too costly,leading to several complaints from visitors, some vowing neverto return to the Cayman Islands, the meeting heard.
The meeting was called by the residentsand business people, primarily to discuss tourism matters affectingthe community. A first meeting was held on March 4.
North Side, they say, is the second largesttourist area in the Cayman Islands, with a rich history and strongcultural heritage. They say that if, properly developed and marketed,the area could attract a vast number of tourists, resulting inmillions of dollars in return.
According to North Side businessman, Mr.Bo Miller, who chaired the meeting, while the area is not in a"crisis stage", proper planning must be put in placefor the community to survive.
"We have to plan or we'll be in trouble",Mr. Miller said. "Until we discover gold or oil, we haveto depend on tourism. Therefore, it is imperative that we paymuch attention to it. For Cayman to be the high-end destinationthat we all want, everything: like services, the environment andairfares must fall in line."
Mr. Miller continued: "The tourismmarket has been talking to us for a long time, but we haven'tlistened. We have to preserve and develop North Side as a touristdestination. North Side is unique in terms of attitudes and position.Also we have the space, safety and tenderness, but what we needis cohesion."
Other issues discussed at the meeting includeddevelopment of the North Side Marine Park, which Mr. Bush describedas a "wonderful entity" that needs advertising; a thoroughexamination of the tourism industry, including marketing and thetraining of staff in the hospitality industry (this will includethe establishment of a tourism training school); placing an emphasison the environment to prevent its deterioration; the incorporationof "tourism" questions on Immigration Forms, which wouldhelp to create a database of visitors' concerns; and having thearea marketed on the Internet like other resort areas in the CaymanIslands.
Mr. Bush told the residents that his ministrywill do whatever it can to assist North Side in becoming the prizedestination that the residents perceive, and asked that the residentsbe vocal about their needs as well as put all proposals "inwriting", as a requirement where public funding is concerned.
The residents, on the other hand, askedthat Mr. Bush designate a liaison officer in his Ministry to NorthSide.
"Look at the areas that want to bedeveloped more and we'll find ways to assist you", Mr. Bushtold the gathering.