NewsACT to Host Final Cruise Town Hall with Port St. Maarten CEO Ahead of Referendum
GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands (April 16, 2025) — As the April 30 cruise berthing referendum nears, The Association for Cruise Tourism (ACT) in the Cayman Islands is inviting all Caymanians to attend its final public town hall on Friday, April 25, 2025, at the Grand Cayman Marriott Resort.
The event, which begins with a 6 p.m. meet-and-greet followed by a 7 p.m. start, will feature Alexander Gumbs, Chief Executive Officer of Port St. Maarten. Gumbs will share firsthand insights into how cruise berthing infrastructure has driven economic growth and helped protect marine environments in other destinations.
ACT is encouraging participation from all sectors of the community – taxi drivers, tour operators, shop owners, hospitality workers, and even those opposed to cruise berthing – in what it describes as a vital conversation about the future of cruise tourism. “This is bigger than any one group – it’s about the future of cruise tourism and the livelihoods of thousands of Caymanians,” said ACT Executive Program Manager Ellio Solomon. “Everyone has a stake in this decision, and every voice deserves to be heard.”
Solomon emphasized that sustainable growth is not only pro-Caymanian, but also pro-environment. “We’ve heard a lot of noise lately, but let’s be clear: sustainable growth is at the core of what ACT stands for,” he said. “Every day we delay is another day our seabed suffers from destructive anchoring. That’s why we support building cruise piers through responsible, proven public-private partnerships – solutions working across the region, the world, and right here at home.”
He added that ACT’s position is rooted in transparency and long-term vision: “This is about protecting what we love – our environment, our economy, and our children’s future. Caymanians deserve more than empty slogans and false narratives. They deserve facts, accountability and real action.”
Solomon also criticized what he called performative politics and “woke elitism” for standing in the way of job creation and infrastructure development. “The real threat to Cayman isn’t development – it’s the mindset that demonizes any effort to build a better future. Caymanians are wide awake. We know the difference between progress and posturing.”
Highlighting the urgency of modernization, Solomon warned that Cayman risks losing relevance in the global cruise industry: “You can’t say yes to cruise tourism but no to the infrastructure that keeps it alive. In the next five years, 80 percent of cruise passengers in the Caribbean will be sailing on mega ships – and they don’t tender. Without a pier, we’ll be bypassed. In fact, we’re already being bypassed, with a nearly 50 percent decline in cruise arrivals since 2019. Isn’t that enough to sound the alarm?”
He concluded with a stark warning: “Once we fall below a critical mass of cruise calls, the industry won’t just decline – it will collapse. Not from lack of demand, but because we failed to adapt. As we say in Cayman, ‘If we don’t hear, we will feel.’ And Cayman is already feeling it. Businesses have closed, jobs have disappeared, and government revenue is slipping.”
The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.