Leadership Cayman class visit the Crystal Caves for tourism seminar
The Leadership Cayman class took a trip to the Crystal Caves for their latest seminar on Wednesday, May 16.
The seminar – entitled ‘Stay Over and Cruise Tourism’ – required the class members to examine the Cayman Islands’ tourism industry in greater detail.
The objectives of the seminar asked the class to discuss the capacity and sustainability of the tourism industry, to provide an overview of current successes and obstacles in the industry, and to compare the tourism goals for each of the three islands.
After spending the afternoon visiting the caves in North Side, the class travelled to Walkers Building for the evening seminar. There they were joined by a panel of tourism experts, including:
- Mr. Stran Bodden; Chief Officer, Ministry of District Administration, Tourism and Transport
- Mr. Kenneth Hydes; Vice President of Special Projects and Partnerships, DECCO, Dart Development, and Immediate Past President of the Cayman Islands Tourism Association
- Mr. Billy Adam; Activist and Environmentalist, and Past President of the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce
After a series of breakout group sessions, the class engaged in a group discussion with the panel. The group and panel discussed the current state of the tourism industry, and addressed its future, including opportunities for development and challenges it may face.
“I am a great believer that the future of Cayman is built of leaders who come together, as this group did tonight, to seek proactive, efficient ways to best shape our country,” said Mr. Bodden.
Mr. Adam shared this positive tone, saying, “It’s good to see people seriously and genuinely studying the Cayman Islands, carefully analysing the issues, and looking at the systems in operation with a means of hearing different points of view and improving things where possible.”
Class members Nicole Thompson and Sandra Malcolm acted as moderators for the seminar, with support from programme graduate and seminar mentor Paola Juarez-Robinson.
The Chamber would like to thank Cox Lumber Ltd. and RBC Royal Bank (Cayman) Ltd. for supporting Leadership Cayman as major programme partners. They would also like to thank Walkers for serving as the seminar sponsor.