Increase in first six months of 2015

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The Cayman Islands received 213,495 stayover arrivals in the first six months of 2015, according to the country’s department of tourism.

That represented a 1.43 percent improvement over the same period in 2014, according to data from the government.

The number was buoyed by a very strong June, during which 32,573 stayover visitors arrived in the territory, the second-highest visitation rate for Cayman in June since the year 2000.

“We understood heading into the shoulder season that arrival figures would be challenged,” said Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell. “Despite the minor decline for the early summer period, I am pleased the destination has maintained positive growth in arrivals for both air and cruise.”

On the cruise side, Cayman showed stronger growth, with a 9.21 percent increase in the first half and a total of 94,511 cruise arrivals.

“My department’s 2015 forecast indicated a slowed growth due to capacity constraints,” said Cayman Director of Tourism Rosa Harris. “The Department of Tourism continues to work very closely with our tourism partners through marketing and promotional efforts to flatten the seasonality of tourism. We are encouraged by the continued confidence demonstrated by airline partners through the addition of new and expanded winter service from key markets in the US, such as Chicago, Dallas and Washington, D.C.”