Transport

Canadian budget airline Westjet has announced details of seasonal, non-stop flights between Grand Cayman and Toronto.

Flights will commence in November 2010 and run until April 2011. The service will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

Outbound flights leave Toronto Pearson International Airport at 9.40 am, landing at Owen Roberts International Airport 4 hours later. The return flight to Canada departs from Grand Cayman at 2.35 pm.

Introductory one-way fares start at 189 CAD plus taxes.

The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism is improving its customer service to cruise passengers at the Royal Watler Cruise Terminal with the opening of the new Visitor Information Centre.

The office, which primarily acts as a hub for incoming passengers interested in tours, attractions and facilities on-island, boasts a striking mural of Caymanian photos representing the culture and beauty of the island.

Since the Royal Watler Cruise Terminal received its first cruise ship in October 2006, the Department of Tourism has been stationed in an old Caymanian-style temporary office in the open area. This new space offers a professional environment that not only allows guests to cool down from the heat, but moreover provides guests with a visual depiction of Cayman’s unique and diverse offerings with the anticipation that it will entice guests to experience something new.

‘The new space we have at the Royal Watler Cruise Terminal will positively impact the visitors’ experience with DOT staff when requesting information and brochures on the islands’ attractions, watersports, restaurants and everything else the Cayman Islands has to offer,’ said Racquel Brown, Manager – Tourism Development Services for the Department of Tourism.

In addition to supplying information and materials for incoming visitors, the office supports the Cruise Conversion Programme, ‘Welcome Back’, which encourages cruise passengers to return as stay-over guests. ‘Welcome Back’ will be relaunched November 2009. For the first time, the Department of Tourism has a physical and convenient location for guests to register for the programme and for staff to be able to deliver personalized service and enhance awareness about ‘Welcome Back’ to cruise passengers.

Leader of Government Business McKeeva Bush held an emergency meeting at the Ritz Carlton hotel yesterday to outline the financial difficulties government is currently facing. Over 400 people attended.

He revealed that:

• For the year-ended June 30 2009 the public sector had an operating deficit of CI$81.1 million.
• On August 25 2009 government held net cash reserves CI$65.6 million, of which CI$76.1 was in restricted cash reserves.
• In order to pay the wages of civil servants on payday on August 25 2009 government postponed payments to contractors, and postponed the payment of employee healthcare and pension costs.
• Government is forecasting a cash shortage at the end of September of CI$44.1 million.
• Since government incurred an operating deficit for the 2008/09 financial year, it needs the permission of the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office (UK FCO) to borrow additional funds.
• Government has agreed with local banks to borrow CI$372 million to finance its commitments until June 30 2010. To proceed, permission must be granted by the UK FCO.
• On August 28 2009 government wrote to the UK FCO requesting permission to borrow CI$272 million.
• On August 30 2009 the FCO advised government they were unlikely to allow the additional borrowing.
• On August 25 2009 he spoke with the FCO seeking urgent permission to borrow CI$30 million to meet current obligations.
• He had received a letter that day from Chris Bryant of the FCO stating that government needed to present a realistic plan to turn around public finances before they could consider a request for additional borrowing. In the letter Bryant stated ‘To give me the confidence that you will be able to service any new borrowing you will have to widen the tax base. I fear you will have no choice but to consider new taxes – perhaps payroll and property taxes such as those in BVI.’

Bush then went on to suggest a number of measures that could increase revenues. These included:

• Widening the channel in the North Sound to attract mega yachts and their rich owners.
• Building cruise ship berthing facilities.
• Building a sewage system.
• Making additional efforts to attract five star resorts to the Cayman Islands.

He also stated aggressive cost cutting measures were required.

Minister of Tourism Charles Clifford has announced that construction work on the redevelopment of Owen Roberts International Airport is scheduled to commence in September and will be complete by 2012.

The project was first announced at the start of 2007 and should have been completed next year. Delays have meant that only a new staff parking lot and a reconfiguration of the long and short-term passenger parking areas have so far been finished.

The next stage will see the floor space at the main terminal grow from 80,000 to 220,000 square feet, an expanded ticketing and check-in hall, a new arrivals hall, a domestic arrivals and departures hall, a new international departures hall, a three additional aircraft parking slots.

Air Jamaica is to cease flights to Grand Cayman next month.

The company yesterday released its 2009 Business Plan, designed to stem its losses and face the current global economic crisis.

Under the plan the airline will halt flights from Jamaica to Grand Cayman on February 26 2009. Flights to other destination such as Los Angeles and Miami will also cease.

The company is also reducing its fleet from 15 to 9 aircraft.

The Cayman Islands Airport Authority has announced that passenger drop-offs in front of the departure area at Owen Roberts International Airport will be suspended for 2 weeks from today. The change will allow vital development work to take place. Drivers dropping off passengers are advised to use a designated lane close to the arrivals area.

The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism has released air and cruise arrival figures for 2007. Air passenger arrivals for 2007 stood at 291,503, up 9 percent from 2006 but 18 percent lower than the pre Hurricane Ivan and 9/11 figures recorded in 2000. 1.7 million visitors arrived by cruise ship, down on the record 1.9 million visitors recorded in 2006.

The Cayman Island’s Public Transportation Board has approved an increase in taxi fares. Effective November 1 2007, the base taxi fare will rise from CI$7 to CI$8, while mileage and hourly rates will increase by 20 percent.

Hurricane Dean passed 100 miles south of Grand Cayman yesterday morning, bringing heavy winds and rough seas to the island but little damage. The category 4 hurricane had at one stage been on a direct path to hit Grand Cayman. The government-imposed curfew was lifted yesterday afternoon and Minister of Tourism, Charles Clifford, has announced that Owen Roberts International Airport is fully operational.

Cayman Airways will suspend its service between Houston and Grand Cayman from November 9 2007. Other changes from that date include a resumption of a twice-weekly service to Chicago and the addition of a fourth weekly flight to New York. The national carrier says the moves are a result of a new focus on the most popular and lucrative routes.