The Association for Cruise Tourism, which had been a leading advocate for building a cruise berthing facility in Cayman, issued a brief statement on social media expressing disappointment following the decisive Election Day defeat of the cruise pier referendum.
The question put to voters on 30 April — Should the Cayman Islands develop cruise berthing infrastructure? — was rejected by 68.9% of the Caymanian electorate who voted either yes or no to the question, rather than not ticking either box.
ACT said they respected the referendum outcome and thanked Caymanians who participated “in this vital exercise of democracy”.
“While we are deeply disappointed by the result, and concerned about the likely negative impact this will have on our sector, we remain committed to advocating for a sustainable and competitive cruise tourism industry,” ACT said.
“The livelihoods of many Caymanians are tied to this vital pillar of our economy, and ACT will continue to work toward securing long-term opportunity for our people and our country.”
The pro-cruise-berthing group also thanked the donors, supporters and volunteers that backed the measure.
Prior to the referendum, government officials made clear that the results were non-binding and while the results would provide an indication of public opinion, it would still be up to the government to decide whether to act on the results.
On the rejection of the cruise berthing referendum, former Minister of Tourism Kenneth Bryan, who had championed the development of cruise berthing as a necessary economic endeavour, said he would respect the people’s will. Bryan was re-elected to his constituency in George Town Central as a member of the People’s Progressive Movement, which will now form the opposition in Parliament.
Across the 19 constituencies in the Cayman Islands, George Town Central recorded the highest percentage of electors who supported the development of cruise berthing facilities with 39.24% saying ‘yes’ in one Elections Office count and 38.8% in the other. The George Town South constituency registered the lowest share of registered voters in favour of developing cruise berthing facilities with just under 20% in favour in both counts.
A spokesperson for the Cruise Port Referendum group, which campaigned against the development of a cruise berthing facility, said in response to the resounding ‘no’ vote that, “Looking at the results, there is no doubt that the people have spoken loud and clear.
“Given the overwhelming results, this new government has to honour the result and understand the people have used their voices on this matter regarding building any proposed cruise berthing infrastructure or facility in the future.”
Regarding the issue of ‘spoiled’ ballots — which made up nearly 7% of the cruise berthing referendum vote — Elections Supervisor Wesley Howell explained that this count includes ballots where no vote was selected, in addition to incorrectly marked ballots.