Next to the George Town cruise berthing facility, the tourism project most often bandied about by Cayman officials is the expansion of Owen Roberts International Airport and extension of the airport’s runway to accommodate bigger airplanes making long international flights. 

In the meantime, Cayman Airways is attempting to tap into the Latin American and South American markets by opening a new route to/from Panama, while trying to open up the western United States with a new route to/from Dallas, Texas. 

In 2011, Cayman attracted more than 309,000 stayover visitors, a 7 per cent increase over a strong 2010, according to statistics compiled by the Caribbean Tourism Organisation. That number exceeded totals posted before the recession, and was the most since at least 2003. 

The data over the 2003-2011 period reflect the tumultuousness in the local tourism industry caused by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and the global financial crisis that began in 2008. The statistics also demonstrate Cayman’s heavy reliance on visitors from the US, compared to the territory’s Caribbean competitors. 

Down, up, down, up  

In 2003, nearly 294,000 stayover visitors arrived in Cayman – only 5 per cent fewer than the number posted in 2011. 

However, the period of 2003-2011 was not one marked by steady, minimal growth. Rather, the pattern is one marked by a crash after the 11 September, 2004, landfall of Hurricane Ivan, then a slow recovery, then a drop due to the recession, and finally another rebound. 

From January to August 2004, the number of stayover visitors outpaced the number posted in January-August 2003 by more than 13 per cent. During the first eight months of the year, Cayman averaged nearly 30,000 visitors per month. In September-December 2004, the average dropped to less than 6,000 per month, including less than 2,000 visitors in October 2004. 

Compared to the same four months in 2003, the number of visitors in the last part of 2004 dropped by more than 73 per cent. The final total for stayover visitors in 2004 ended up being 11 per cent less than 2003. 

The havoc wreaked by Ivan carried over into 2005, and the number of stayover visitors dropped by 35 per cent compared to 2004, and was 43 per cent less than 2003’s totals. 

In 2006, the number of stayover visitors jumped by 59 per cent, and by 2007 the number of stayover visitors had finally reached 2003 levels. 

In fall 2008 the global financial crisis settled in. Relative to the sudden catastrophe of Ivan, the recession was a long, drawn out, dampening phenomenon. 

From May 2007 to August 2008, Cayman experienced a 16-month period of increased in stayover visitors, averaging about a 10 per cent increase over the previous year. In September 2008, the number of stayover visitors declined by 10 per cent compared to September 2007, kicking off a 14-month period where monthly totals dropped by an average of 12 per cent compared to the previous year. 

Since then, the numbers gradually started to get better, other than a couple of hiccups. In the 26 months between November 2009 and December 2011, stayover visitor totals increased by an average of 6 per cent per month, compared to the previous year, with increases occurring in 24 out of the 26 months. 

US and Cayman  

A disproportionate number of stayover visitors in Cayman are Americans. From 2003 to 2011, nearly 79 per cent of Cayman’s stayover tourists were from the US. 

That is a higher percentage than Cayman’s competitors who attract a similar number of overall stayover tourists. From a certain vantage point, that is evidence Cayman could tap into the European, South American and Asian markets by virtue of a longer runway that can accommodate long, international direct flights. 

Overall, from 2003-2011, 79 per cent of Cayman’s stayover visitors were from the US, 6 per cent were from Canada, 7 per cent from Europe and 8 per cent from ‘Other’, according to Caribbean Tourism Organisation data. 

By comparison, 75 per cent of Bermuda’s stayover visitors were from the US, 10 percent from Canada, 11 per cent from Europe and 4 percent ‘Other’. 

Additionally, 61 per cent of Spanish-speaking Belize’s stayover visitors were from the US, 7 percent from Canada, 14 per cent from Europe and 19 per cent ‘Other’. 

In St Maarten (where the official languages are French and Dutch), 53 per cent of stayover visitors were from the US, 7 per cent from Canada, 21 per cent from Europe and 18 per cent ‘Other’. 

In Dutch-speaking Curacao, only 15 per cent of stayover visitors were from the US, 2 per cent from Canada, 41 per cent from Europe and 41 percent ‘Other’. 

Big fish profiles  

In terms of tourists, the big fish in the Caribbean aquarium are the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Jamaica, followed by the Bahamas and Puerto Rico. 

The Dominican Republic attracted nearly 34.8 million stayover visitors from 2003 to 2011. (By comparison, the total for Cayman over that time was less than 2.5 million.) In 2011, the number of stayover visitors to the Dominican Republic increased by nearly 32 per cent compared to 2003. 

In that time, 28 per cent of stayover visitors were from the US, 14 per cent from Canada, 34 per cent from Europe and 24 per cent ‘Other’. 

Cuba drew about 20.7 million stayover visitors from 2003-2011. In 2011, the number of stayover visitors increased by 43 per cent compared to 2003. During that time, 38 per cent of stayover visitors were from Europe, 32 per cent from Canada and 29 per cent ‘Other’. Officially, no visitors from the US came to Cuba, and while that may not be completely accurate, it demonstrates Cuba’s potential to become an even more dominant tourism force if US travel restrictions are eased. 

Jamaica drew 15.1 million stayover visitors from 2003-2011. In 2011, the number of stayover visitors increased by 44 per cent compared to 2003. During that time, 67 per cent of stayover visitors were from the US, 12 per cent from Canada, 15 per cent from Europe and 5 per cent ‘Other’. 

The Bahamas drew 12.9 million stayover visitors from 2003-2011. The number of stayover visitors in 2011 was 6 per cent lower than in 2003. Nearly 81 per cent of stayover visitors were from the US. 

Puerto Rico drew 12.5 million stayover visitors from 2003-2011. The number of stayover visitors in 2011 was 9 per cent higher than in 2003. Nearly 89 per cent of stayover visitors were from the US. 

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