5 Cruise Ships, 15K Passengers visit on New Year’s Day

(A Perspective by Caymanian Times publisher Ralph Lewis)

15 cruise ships are scheduled to visit the Cayman Islands next week with five calling in one day.

According to the Port Authority of the Cayman Islands, between Monday December 30 and Friday January 3rd the ships are expected to bring a total of 47, 688 passengers to our shores. 

New Year’s Day Wednesday January 1, 2025, the George Town Port is expected to be bustling with the most activity as 5 cruise ships bring 15,556 passengers, a significant improvement on the previous Wednesday’s port activity.

We can expect to see increases in passengers walking through the streets of our capital and local drivers are advised to avoid the waterfront route.

The New Years Day public holiday, will also help in reducing traffic in that area.

This is good news for our cruise economy which has come under much debate recently with the proposed cruise referendum being finalised.

Cruise tourism is a bread-and-butter industry for many Caymanians, directly supporting thousands of livelihoods and contributing significantly to the country’s socioeconomic development.

In recent weeks, the Association for Cruise Tourism (ACT) in the Cayman Islands has underscored the need to balance economic benefits with environmental stewardship and quality of life. “We believe it is possible to sustainably grow cruise tourism while protecting our natural resources and ensuring that all Caymanians benefit from the opportunities it creates,” said Ellio Solomon, the ACT’s Executive Program Manager.

“This balance is essential for the future prosperity of our islands.”

The group fully supports replacing the tenders, currently being used, with a Cruise Port.

Perhaps New Years Day will be a great opportunity to visit the ports and observe the many passengers disembarking for their visit to this island paradise.

A picture is worth 1,000 words and may help voters to decide on the future of Cruise Tourism in the Cayman Islands.

As we embark on a new year this maybe a positive sign of things to come for the tourism industry and the wider economy.

Let us hope that the weather does not interfere with this celebration on New Year’s Day of 5 Cruise Ships with 15,000 passengers.

On a weekly basis you can also find the cruise ship schedule in the Friday’s edition of Caymanian Times.