The 2009 Miss Cayman Pageant has been cancelled as a direct result of the economic crisis facing the Cayman Islands.
Government has decided is unable to afford the $100,000 cost of staging the competition.
As a result there will be no entry from the Cayman Islands in the 2009 Miss World pageant and the 2010 Miss Universe pageant.
The Cayman Islands Orchid Society will hold its annual Orchid Show and Sale at the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park on March 7 and 8 2009.
The event will run from 8.30 am until 4.30 pm on both days. Admission is CI$8 (free for kids under 12).
The Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, will visit the Cayman Islands next month.
He will arrive in Cayman Brac on February 5 and inspect the damage caused by Hurricane Paloma and travel to Grand Cayman in the afternoon to present Duke of Edinburgh Awards at Government House.
The visit is part of a 7-day trip to the Caribbean that also includes calls in the Bahamas, Jamaica, and Barbados.
Grand Cayman’s annual food and drink festival will be held at Camana Bay on November 1 2008. The Taste of Cayman Food and Wine Festival will give residents and visitors the chance to enjoy the best of the island’s cuisine.
More than 30 restaurants will be showcasing their signature dishes, while a wine tasting area will offer wines from 24 vineyards.
Advance tickets priced at $40 are available from supermarkets around the island. Tickets on the gate are $50.
The 4th annual Cayman Jazzfest will be held November 29 to December 1 2007. Acts appearing include Chaka Khan, Brian McKnight, Diane Reeves, BeBe Winans and Monty Alexander. Venues for the event are the Westin Casuarina Resort and Pageant Beach. Tickets and further details are available on the festival website.
Pirates Week, Grand Cayman’s largest annual festival, will run from November 8 – 18 2007. Saturday November 10 sees a mock pirate invasion in George Town Harbour, followed by a float parade through the streets, and a food and drink festival in the evening. Other events include an underwater treasure hunt at Divetech (November 11) and a turtle release on the Public Beach (November 15).
Prince Edward rounded off his visit to the Cayman Islands with a tour of Pedro St James on Tuesday. The prince was shown the work carried out to restore damage caused by Hurricane Ivan, and also watched a multi-media presentation about the attraction. The prince then left for Owen Roberts International Airport to catch a flight to Jamaica.
As reported earlier, Prince Edward will visit the Cayman Islands this weekend. During his visit he will see the efforts the islands have made to recover from Hurricane Ivan. His whistle-stop tour will include visits to Stingray City and the Salina Reserve, where he will release a Blue Iguana.
Grand Cayman has been selected to host the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s annual Sustainable Tourism Development Conference in May 2007. The event is expected to bring around 400 delegates to the island. The Department of Tourism is planning to use the conference to promote their Go–East initiative, which aims to increase tourism in Bodden Town, North Side and the East End.
Prince Edward, the youngest child and third son of Queen Elizabeth II, will be visiting the Cayman Islands February 3 – 6 2007. It will be his third visit to the islands in three years. His exact schedule has yet to be confirmed.