Cruise ships are coming back to the Cayman Islands next month.
The British Overseas Territory’s government says it is projecting the first ships to return to Cayman beginning March 21, pending formal Cabinet approval.
It’s been almost two years since the last cruise ship called on Grand Cayman before the onset of the pandemic.
In the first phase of the cruise industry relaunch, ships will be limited to 40 percent of previous passenger volumes.
That means a maximum of 75,000 during the period, according to the Ministry of Tourism.
The destination will require all passengers and crew to be fully vaccinated.
“The fact remains that while the pandemic persists, all travel, whether by air or sea, presents a certain degree of risk,” said Cayman Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan. “However, as we are seeing with stayover arrivals, our Island’s high vaccination rate, coupled with having the right safety protocols in place, is allowing our tourism industry to recover.”