Grand
Cayman, Cayman Islands (17 October 2019) –
Norman Bodden, OBE, is one of the few old guards who remain in Cayman
today. No one can question his stellar reputation in both business
and community or his contributions to the religious, corporate,
governance and private sector development of these three islands.

Today
he still stands well-tempered, like Damascus steel. Though diplomatic
and eloquent, he does not and has never cut both ways, only the
straight and narrow way, and in a direction that bodes best for his
beloved islands.

So
then, what is the essence of this proposed cruise-port facility
debate, in his eyes?

“We
have a tendency to resist change, but we need a progressive plan, if
you can call it that,” he says. “Development is necessary to keep
the economy going, but we just have to be careful in our
forward-planning. We need to retain the things that have attracted
people here. And yes, we’ve lost some things along the way, but we
can carefully manage what we still have left.”

To
decipher his exact opinion on the sensitive matter takes a bit more
understanding of the man.

As
a teenager, Mr. Norman, as he is affectionately known in Cayman,
never received the traditional call to become a seaman. After
graduating in 1953 at the age of 18, he secured a “good job” in
Cayman with LACSA airlines earning a grand sum of 10 pounds sterling
monthly. Thus began his relationship with the travel and tourism
industries. He went on to work many years with Cayman Brac Airways
and then Cayman Airways.

“Cayman
is a different kind of place, which is why tourists still like to
visit here,” he explained. “I’m pleased to have seen our
progress, and the development of our country. Even so, we need to
maintain our culture and our careful approach as we go forward. We
still have many great ‘Things Caymanian’”.

Explaining
why early Caymanians were enamoured by cruise ships and stayover
visitors in the early years of tourism development, he shared an
unusually moving reason.

“Our
seamen played an important role in our early development where most
of our local families had fathers, sons and uncles far away at sea.
As such the visitors were surrogates for their loved ones. We loved
to entertain those cruisers and stayover guests, for this was a way
to compensate for our own men who were at sea, hoping that they were
receiving the same hospitality wherever they were in the world. Ever
since, our tourism industry has survived, as we always have, by us
improvising and making sacrifices to get ahead.”

As
for the present twin-pier proposal, Mr. Bodden says he’s aware of
the plans to enhance the facility and to revitalise George Town, and
that the Government must be careful to make it attractive to those
who visit Cayman as well as those who live here.

Mr.
Bodden was elected as a political representative in 1980 and served
as Minister of Tourism from 1984 to 1992. His new government embraced
the dramatic tourism boom in this phase of Cayman’s history and in
the early 1980s hired a New York advertising agency to develop the
prime Florida and New York travel markets.

“Our
TV spots worked, and soon many Americans were learning about this
undiscovered gem some 400 miles south of Miami,” he recalls. “The
number of cruise passengers was not high in the early times – only
about 200,000 in 1984. That picture changed dramatically when bigger
cruise ships began bringing wealthier travellers, as well as
middle-income cruisers”.

Mr.
Norman says his Government’s original business plan was simple –
to attract North American families to a safe, relaxed and comfortable
destination.

“Our
ad-spend was small too,” he admits, “but we realised that cruise
visitors were a great tool to supplement our ongoing tourism
development as well as the fledgling financial services industry. Our
reasoning was that cruisers would help spread the word about the
Cayman Islands and a certain sector would fly back to Cayman as
return visitors, newly committed to these pristine islands and make
investments here that would benefit all - as is said "the
tourist dollar trickles down" to benefit everyone. To some
extent, that still occurs today.”

Soon
condo/hotel developments, restaurants and other amenities were
popping up along the Seven Mile Beach corridor. This proved
beneficial to many locals - especially as Caymanians could now find
good work in their own country.

A
staunch commitment to preserve the environment, especially the marine
life, was another key component of the Government’s strategy as
SCUBA diving and other water sports soon emerged as intrinsic to the
tourist product.

Cayman’s
cruise port was upgraded in recent years, but still only small tender
vessels are able to use the three passenger terminals, and any one of
these are best known for their congestion on days when there are two
or more cruise ships in town. The cargo port was built some 40-plus
years ago to cater to modern steel-hulled vessels and Mr. Norman
remembers that the facility was built, through the efforts of the
late Berkley Bush, amid much national protests. That facility,
however, has also endured the natural forces of hurricanes, storms,
decomposition and heavy use but the vital lifeline for imports and
trade also needs to be upgraded to meet the needs and demands of a
rapidly growing population.

The
early “boom” in Cayman’s popularity occurred faster than most
could consider the ramifications, but the crystal-clear waters and
the talcum powder-like sand still continue to draw millions of cruise
and stayover vacationers each year. Today, as history prepares to
repeat itself, with mega-ships now plying the Caribbean waters (but
unable to berth in Cayman), Mr. Norman says about the future of
cruise tourism:

“Many
people today, through convenience or necessity, prefer getting off
the cruise ships smoothly so the berths would be a plus but
everything has to be well-balanced. If the Environmental Impact
Assessments (EIA) prove that there will be no damage to Seven Mile
Beach, I will be satisfied that there will be no adverse effects. And
I am not being political, just practical".

“In
our growth and development, we have just invested in a modern and
attractive airport terminal and the waterfront should not be left
behind. Having a berthing facility and an upgraded cargo port done
together seems the practical way to go.”

The
weight and relevance of his final comments are reflected in the
images on the wall of his office. In the reception area are three
framed sepia-toned photos, two of local sailors of decades gone by,
working on the deck of a locally-built schooner – the maritime
workhorses of the northern Caribbean. The third appropriately shows
the George Town harbour as it was, a crude ironshore landing area for
ships, with sparse wooden seaside buildings, the spire of Elmslie
Memorial Church the only recognisable landmark.

Hanging
above his office chair is a watercolour painting of the modern-day
waterfront. Just how much does the sea mean to him? With a smile, the
astute 84-year-old says, “Whenever I decide to retire, I’m taking
those pictures home with me.”

For
more information related to the cruise berthing project, please visit
the Support our Tourism
website or connect with us on facebook
at www.facebook.com/supPORTourTourism.