Cayman Islands Minister of Tourism opens tourism showcase

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, 8 November 2016 – The Minister of Tourism, the Hon Moses Kirkconnell, opened the Tourism Showcase with the State of the Industry Address this morning. Attendees primarily from North America represent wholesalers, airlines and online travel agents (OTAs) that produce business for the Cayman Islands. This marquee event is the replacement for the Cayman Islands Tourism Exchange formerly hosted by the Cayman Islands Tourism Association. The three day showcase involves key business meetings with on island partners and a Department of Tourism led familiarisation trip. Attendees took advantage of the opportunity to sign up for day trips to Cayman Brac and Little Cayman which will provide a rounded destination experience and deepen the product offerings in the Cayman Islands.

The attendees were the first witnesses to an animated fly through of the new Owen Roberts International terminal building at the Tourism Showcase event this morning presented by the Minister of Tourism. Partners in attendance watched in awe as the video showed the $55M expansion from the air, driving along the entrance and walking through the check in, security areas and departure lounge of the of the terminal building.

Once completed, the airport will comfortably be able to process 2.5M passengers annually and will offer triple the space in the terminals for ticketing, arrivals and departures, as well as more space for retail, restaurants and offices. The animated video will be released to the public in the near future.

The Tourism Showcase rounds out a yearlong effort by the Department of Tourism to offer business development opportunities to private sector partners. Previous workshops hosted spanned the topics of Search Engine Optimisation, Trip Advisor, Destination Weddings & Honeymoons and PR 101. The Cayman Islands tourism industry is positioned well for the winter season ahead with the tools necessary to win additional business.

IMAGES:
Deputy Premier and Minister of Tourism, the Hon Moses Kirkconnell
(L-R) Annick Jackman, DOT Manager, National Promotions and Events; Rosa Harris, Director of Tourism; Deputy Premier and Minister of Tourism, the Hon Moses Kirkconnell; Chief Officer in the Ministry of Tourism, Stran Bodden; Jahaira Goodwin DOT Partnership Marketing Specialist.