Passengers visiting the Cayman Islands on high volume cruise days were recently welcomed with the sights and sounds of some of Cayman’s best loved cultural experiences.

During busy months, such as the period between November 2011 and February 2012, the Royal Watler Cruise Terminal became alive with the sounds of local musicians in a unique ‘front porch’ style bandstand. Local dance troupe KRI performed traditional quadrilles and other Caribbean dances, and members of the Cayman Traditional Arts demonstrated thatch rope making, playing with gigs, and demonstrated how to blow a conch shell, delighting intrigued visitors.

“The experience we provide to our visitors, particularly cruise passengers who are only here for a few hours, plays a key role in customer satisfaction and can directly impact return visitation,” explained Premier McKeeva Bush, Minister of Tourism. “Therefore, it is important that our cruise passengers are provided with cultural interactions which are not only unique to the Cayman Islands, but will pique their interest and encourage them to return for a stay-over vacation.

The cultural awareness programme has been integrated into the cruise passenger experience since 2007 and has expanded over time into a welcomed and popular port experience for cruisers.

“On exceptionally busy days when passengers at the port can number close to 10,000 people in a day, per day, the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism strives to do everything possible to enhance the visitors experience as they disembark their cruise ships and explore the terminal,” stated Shomari Scott, Director of Tourism (Ag.)

“As anyone who has travelled during peak times can appreciate, arriving at a foreign destination simultaneously with thousands of other people can be overwhelming.  We have found that by offering our unique brand of Caymankind hospitality, infused with cultural interactions, our visitors are able to gain a brief appreciation of who we are as a people and the feedback has been extremely positive. By offering the experience within the terminal,” Mr. Scott continued, “more guests are able to participate with the interactive displays as soon as they disembark, creating lasting memories even before they begin their island tours.”