The Editor Speaks: How many tourists have we lost?
“We had no legal reason to refuse the licences. The main reasons for the grant was to accommodate tourists arriving on Sunday.”
The above is attributable to The Cayman Islands Liquor Licensing Board (LLB) Deputy Chair Lynn Bodden.
It was made after the LLB announced that all gas stations, as well as liquor stores, can now apply for a retail licence to sell alcohol on Sundays.
The license is limited to off-sales between the hours of 1pm and 7pm on Sundays.
The licence permits only off-sales or take-out and does not allow consumption on the premises.
Noel Williams, the LLB chair, said the new move has made the situation fair for all gas stations that already have package licences and are selling alcohol during the week.
Despite widespread opposition to selling alcohol on Sundays and for gas stations to be doing this, the importance of the tourism sector to Cayman’s economy swung the board to make this decision.
What an absolute pile of rubbish!
We are now a nation of statistics. We will soon know how many times a day the average person goes to the bathroom to pee, etc. and broken down to male and female.
Where, I ask, are the statistics to show how many tourists we have lost because of them not being able to purchase a bottle of alcohol on a Sunday and take it back to their hotel or Guest room?
According to the Board there has also been a need to prevent illegal sales from continuing. Are they saying our local police force has been negligent in their duty in not stopping this enormous trade from taking place on a Sunday. It had to be a large trade to persuade them to legalise it.
Other local media, with their ‘sources’ say that full amended legislation regarding Sunday liquor sales will be brought to the Legislative Assembly before the end of the year.
The LLB have said they have executed in depth research on the subject but I have yet to see any of this research made public.
I have to wonder how much more erosion in the Christian values the Cayman Islands have held dear to in the past. Values that should never have been allowed to be devalued ever!
With the drunk driving rising every year, persons being killed because of it, and gas stations selling the alcohol to the drivers is to me insane.
Soon to come advert at local gas station:
“Special Offer: 50% off a bottle of scotch to every driver who buys ten gallons of gas. If you are a tourist with a hire car, it’s 60% off because you may not return to our Islands to enjoy our booze. You might have an accident on our roads due to one of our drunks we are selling to. You could be dead. Sorry you are now lost to us. But selling alcohol 7 says a week at this gas station it’s good for our tourist industry. Our LLB says so.”
Really?
It’s a lot safer to be in Church than on our roads. And that’s a fact that needs no statistic to prove it.
Until someone can prove to me otherwise, these islands have not lost any tourists coming here because of the old Sunday liquor laws.
May I also add that some tourists will not return because our supermarkets and other stores are prohibited from opening. I get complaints about this all the time. If tourists want to buy a bottle of liquor they just need to think ahead and buy it on Saturday.
As an aside should supermarkets sell gas as they do in many parts of the world.
The statement from the liquor licensing board is pure BS.
If tourists need booze on a Sunday, from a store & not from a bar/restaurant then surely they need groceries! I would like to see grocery stores open from 1-7 on a Sunday & I’m not a tourist. It’s my day off from work & I would like to shop then instead of struggling to fit it in between finishing work & fighting the traffic home.
Absolutely correct. Its tourists who complain that supermarkets are not open on a Sunday That is more important than bringing a bottle of beer back to their condo apartment!
Colin