Cayman Islands Embarks on Expansion with Eye on Global Destinations

Team Cayman in Colombia: Pictured l-r Gary Hendricks-Dominguez, Lennon Chandler, Bianca Moore Downey, Ayanna Victorin, Rosa Harris, Omar Hashmi, Tatiana Ramoon, Tristaca Ebanks, and Raymond Mathias.

BOGOTA, Colombia (March 23, 2024) – The Cayman Islands is setting its sights on a bold expansion of its tourism and aviation sectors, Director of Tourism Rosa Harris reported at the Routes Americas 2024 aviation development conference held in Bogotá, Colombia this week.

Harris reported “We are expanding the runway at Owen Roberts International Airport to hopefully expand long-haul flights into and out of the destination,” highlighting the strategic focus on broadening the islands’ reach to key markets in South America and Europe.

For the first time, the Cayman Islands displayed its own booth at the event, symbolizing a strengthened approach to networking and partnership development. Alongside the Cayman Islands Airports Authority, discussions with airline partners centered on the runway expansion and facility upgrades at the Owen Roberts International Airport.

The airport expansion aims to accommodate new flights from countries such as Brazil, Peru and Argentina, together with an increased presence in air arrivals from European nations, including Germany, Italy, France and Switzerland to complement existing London Heathrow service on British Airways. The strategy is not only about enhancing accessibility; it is designed to diversify the territory’s visitor demographics and “flatten seasonality”, particularly during the summer and fall months.

“At the moment, the United States is our primary source market, and it has a distinct season, so our summer and fall require more support. So we’re hoping that if we look to South America and to Europe, we’ll be able to fill those gaps and flatten our seasonality overall,” Harris explained.

Complementing the expansion is a boost in hotel development projects across Grand Cayman, with about 1,200 rooms coming online over the next two to three years, adding to the 7,500 rooms across the three islands of Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac.

Harris highlighted significant developments in the accommodation sector, starting with the recent approval of the VIDA Cayman eco lodge, an 18-room property committed to sustainable tourism. Progress continues on the construction front with the One | GT, a 177-room hotel, currently reaching its 8th floor. Additionally, the Grand Hyatt Cayman Hotel & Residences is bringing a substantial 351 rooms to the market, alongside the 80-room Kailani, a Curio Collection by Hilton Hotel. Meanwhile, Hotel Indigo is nearing completion, and is set to open next month with approximately 282 rooms, further expanding the Cayman Islands’ capacity to welcome more visitors.

By year’s end, the Cayman Islands is expected to nearly return to pre-pandemic levels in terms of stayover visitor arrivals.