Cayman arrivals surpass projections

Welcoming 309,091 stay-over visitors for 2011, the Cayman Islands has outperformed its projected arrival figure of 302,000 visitors to record a bumper year for global tourist arrivals, including a 26.3% increase from Canada. The 309,000 stay-over visitor figure represents a 7.2% increase over 2010 and is the best stay-over visitor arrival figure the Cayman Islands has recorded in 10 years. The Canadian office reports its second consecutive record year for arrivals with a 26.3% increase in Canadian travellers to Cayman in 2010. Paul Minich, country manager for the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism in Canada, reinforced that the luxury brand positioning and the cosmopolitan nature of Grand Cayman itself has resonated strongly with Canadians. “Our integrated marketing strategy that has been in place for 18 months has paid attractive dividends and we are more than satisfied with the result,”said Minich. Pictured, Minich (l) with Shomari Scott, director of tourism (acting) for the Cayman Islands at the recent Caribbean Marketplace in The Bahamas.