by Joe Pike From Travel Agent Central

We sat down with Harris on Wednesday afternoon and learned that the destination is actively looking for an all-inclusive resort company to open up shop in the destination.

“As a destination, Cayman would like to see our first fully-dedicated, all-inclusive resort that would hopefully round out the offerings that Cayman has,” Harris told Travel Agent.

Although Harris told us the ultimate plan would be to have an all-inclusive resort on the destination’s lesser-know Cayman Brac, she also said she would like to see one on the more mainstream island of Grand Cayman.

Travel Agent’s Perspective

Travel Agent is excited to soon see all-inclusive resorts in two Caribbean islands, the Cayman Islands and Puerto Rico, for the first time.

After years of rumors that AMResorts was looking to expand to Puerto Rico and become the destination’s only all-inclusive resort, the company inked a deal late last year to build a Dreams Resort in Guanica, Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico and Cayman Islands are both restaurant-heavy islands that rely on off-property dining options to help drive the economy. This was perhaps the main reason both islands have been reluctant over the years to welcome an all-inclusive property.

“We are going to be very careful in deciding what all-inclusive company comes to the destination,” says Harris. “We need to make sure guests of whatever all-inclusive it is are still encouraged to get off the resort and eat at our local restaurants.”

As far as what company makes sense for the destination, Travel Agent thinks it’s a very likely possibility thatKarisma Hotels & Resorts could be the first all-inclusive company to open a hotel in the Cayman Islands.

After all, Karisma and the Cayman Islands already have a mutual business partner in Margaritaville Holdings, LLC. Margaritaville Beach Resort Grand Cayman, the anticipated multi-million-dollar renovation project situated in the heart of Grand Cayman on Seven Mile Beach, had a soft opening back in February. That same month, Karisma signed a partnership to develop a new all-inclusive Margaritaville Resorts brand.

But Harris wouldn’t confirm or deny whether Karisma is one of the companies the Cayman Islands is eyeing.

“We have several names in mind already, but we’ll share those at another time,” Harris told Travel Agent.

Visit www.caymanislands.ky and keep visiting www.travelagentcentral.com for all your latest travel news.

IMAGES:

Rosa Harris and Travel Agent’s Joe Pike

Photo by Joe Pike

For more on this story go to: http://www.travelagentcentral.com/hotels/exclusive-cayman-islands-pursuing-first-all-inclusive-resort