iNews briefs
Cayman Islands Nov. Cruise Passengers Fall 10.6% Y/y
Following is a summary table for the Cayman Islands November cruise passenger traffic statistics from the Port Authority of the Cayman Islands:
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Nov. Oct. Sept. Aug. July June May
2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013
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Passengers 118,360 84,529 58,976 67,571 66,874 61,027 76,264
YoY% -10.6% 9.1% -24.3% -21.7% -27.4% -31.8% -15.8%
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SOURCE: Port Authority of the Cayman Islands
Netclues signs partnership agreement with Trading Info
Cayman Web-development firm Netclues have announced they will be the official Caribbean sales and marketing partner of Trending.Info, a Canadian owned and based social media technology company.
Company officials met in Grand Cayman recently to formalize the partnership and discuss Caribbean growth strategy.
Trending.Info selects and aggregates online social media posts, comments and tweets about particular communities or topics and presents them in a website format without the need to have social media accounts or specific knowledge. This technology creates a digital sidewalk of social media buzz about a community or organization, which can be accessed by computer, tablet or smartphone.
The Canadian company will offer Trending.Info sites, such as www.TrendingCayman.com, in major tourism destinations including cruise ship ports where visitors want to connect with the local scene of arts, culture, food, sports, wellness and excursions.
Trending.Info is supported by the Canadian Digital Media Network and its Soft-Landing Programme that helps mature start-ups kick-start their international growth by helping them access a foreign market.
$54,000 Raised from Jingle Bell Walk/Run
300 entrants ran for either 5 kilometers or 10km in the Jingle Bell Walk/Run last week at the Holiday Inn Resort Grand Cayman (formerly the Grand Caymanian) for the second consecutive year. In so doing they raised $54,000 for the Cayman Islands Crisis Centre.
Entry in the run was $20 with the majority of the funds coming from donators that included LIME, Green Light Re-Insurance Ltd, Maples, Aon Insurance, Walkers, Insurance Managers Association of Cayman, Rawlinson & Hunter, Kobre & Kim LLP and DMS Kiss.
Cayman Heart Fund announce gala
The Cayman Heart Fund have announced they will be holding a Gala on 7th February at the Marriott Ballroom at 6:30 p.m.
All proceeds donated will go towards furthering their work in establishing heart health in the Cayman Islands.
Cayman’s premier says conservation vote is victory for democracy
Cayman Islands Premier, Hon. Alden McLaughlin, said Friday’s (13) unanimous vote in favour of the National Conservation Law spoke volumes concerning Cayman’s democracy. He said it was an example of building consensus within the Legislative Assembly and hoped it will become a hallmark of his administration.
The premier said “ I think [it] was an absolute victory for democracy and would have gone a long way in restoring confidence in our people that those they have elected are prepared to do what is right by the country instead of sticking to whatever position they have taken.”
Local culture is taught to teachers
A workshop focusing on local culinary arts and crafts was held at the Red Bay Primary School for public school teachers in order for them to be able to help students and parents build a greater appreciation for local culture and Cayman’s heritage.
Cayman Traditional Arts run the workshops and they complement the ongoing Heritage Arts programme for Year Six public school students.
This was the first in a monthly series that runs until June 2014.
NT bird sanctuary vandalized by graffiti
Governor Michael Gore’s Bird Sanctuary in Spotts Newlands, run by Cayman’s National Trust has been vandalised.
The poles and beams of the structure on the lookout deck were heavily daubed by foul worded graffiti.
Workers were quickly in place to remove the offensive material .
No to application for Ostrich Farm
The proposal to build an Ostrich Farm in East End has been turned down by the Central Planning Authority.
Three letters of objections to the farm’s application to construct an 8 ft. chain link fence and storage container for the proposed farm were enough for the Authority who met late November to say, “No”.
ICCI announces seminar to highlight Cayman
The International College of the Cayman Islands (ICCI) have announced they will be holding a seminar on all things Cayman during their winter session from 6-10 March 2014.
Students will have a chance to learn everything from Cayman’s history from the oldest available documents, culture, and present.
The speakers will include ICCI Director of Academic Affairs Christine Smith, Denise Bodden from the National Trust, and Maia Muttoo, who is the Programme Specialist from the National Museum.
