by Jim Byers
Last updated: 12:43 AM ET, Thu March 28, 2019
GRAND CAYMAN - Anyone who's been to the Cayman Islands in the past couple years can probably see the progress that's being made. None other than Prince Charles was on hand Wednesday to drive the point home even harder.
The Prince of Wales and heir to the throne landed in the Cayman Islands on a brilliant, hot day with his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. Together the royal couple shook hands and chatted with locals, then unveiled a plaque that commemorates the sparkling, new terminal at Owen Roberts International Airport.
TravelPulse Canada was the only Canadian media outlet on hand for the ceremony.
Neither Charles nor Camilla spoke to the public at the unveiling, which is part of a 12-day Caribbean royal tour that began in Cuba and also has included stops in six countries and one territory (the Cayman Islands). But local officials hailed the visit as a sign of the Cayman Islands' tourism strength.
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"We've seen massive growth," Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell told a group of locals who gathered in front of the new terminal. "We set a new arrival record last year, with nearly 2.4 million visitors."
Kirkconnell said the new airport fulfills a government pledge to provide the Cayman Islands with a "world-class airport."
"As well as signifying our progress as a modern progressive nation, this bigger, better airport is the standard bearer for the Caymankind brand," he said.
"The new airport gives everyone a better, more customer-friendly travelling experience," said Cayman Premier Alden McLaughlin.
The old airport had a technical capacity of 500,000 travellers. The new one can accommodate more like 2.7 million fliers a year.
The final price tag hasn't been disclosed, but Kirkconnell boasted it was all paid in cash.
"No loans. It's 100 per cent owned by the people," he said.
The airport will include a new larger departure hall, a food court, a VIP lounge, a children's play zone, new dining options, added washrooms, a room for moms and babies and also some new shops.
The new airport terminal features plenty of blue-tinted glass and the outline of three "A" shapes; meant to mimic the old "A-frame style" of the original facility and to honour the three main islands in The Cayman Islands.
The royal couple arrived on a Royal Air Force jet shortly before 4 p.m. local time. After Prince Charles reviewed a military or police squadron on the tarmac, he and the Duchess were whisked around the corner to a red carpet, which led to the area where the plaque was unveiled.
The Duchess was given a bouquet of fresh flowers as she and the Prince chatted with locals, who had been waiting in the hot sun for some time as they listened to the sounds of a steel drum band. A local choir sang "God Save the Queen" and the plaque was unveiled after a couple of mercifully short speeches from the politicians.
Babies waved Cayman Islands flags as their mothers pointed out the royal couple, and older folks shielded themselves from the sun with bright umbrellas. The event was broadcast live on national television, tourism authorities said, and Thursday has been declared a national holiday.
There has been a good deal of growth in the Cayman Islands the past few years, with new construction all around. The Kimpton Seafire Resort and Spa, a posh hotel on Seven Mile Beach that your correspondent is enjoying this week, opened just a couple years ago and was the first major resort in the destination in a decade. It's got a tremendous swimming pool complex, excellent food, modern rooms with all the amenities and a wonderful stretch of beach.
A Mandarin Oriental is on the way, officials told TravelPulse Canada, and there are rumours of a Four Seasons coming, too.
Toss in the impossibly blue Caribbean water, great food and a bevy of other attractions, and there's good reason the Cayman Islands set a new tourism record last year.
Look for more on the Cayman Islands in this space over the next few days, as we continue to check out attractions and new and renovated hotel properties that Canadian agents can book for their clients.
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