I was also very lucky to do some exotic travelling with my parents around this time too. Growing up I travelled quite a bit of Europe which was great and I enjoyed it immensely. However a few trips to the Caribbean opened my eyes to a whole new exciting world. I was hooked on travel and tourism.

My in was through my passion for diving. That got me to Grand Cayman and kept me in the tourism game long enough to learn a little something here and there.

When I first went to Grand Cayman and worked there in the mid to late 90′s it was sliding down the coat tails of it’s hay day. Now I am not saying it’s over but the product and market has certainly changed. Cayman is no longer a travelers paradise. It is no longer somewhere people have not heard of and people just go to. Its been in the movies and then of course there is the internet. The internet enables a lot of people to travel to place without going there. It is also less remote today than it used to be.
When I first moved to Cayman you turned up and found yourself a job if you wanted and then they would apply for a permit. Well not only are people applying for the jobs online now, but tourists are finding everything out about our islands before they visit using the internet. This has a couple of effects. People are deciding what they want to do and where to eat before they arrive at the same time as booking accomodation. It also means they know what to expect they will research the product and read about others experiences. They have become educated travellers (Yes I am ignoring about 60% of cruise visitors) .

All of this information available has also got to have a massive impact on a destinations ability to pull guests in. I mean does marketing still have an affect? Well of course it does. Especially if it is effective marketing. However you must remember to keep an eye on all that information out there as well because it does have an effect.

So where did this rant come from. Well I am sat in the British Airways flight from Cayman through the Bahamas to England. As per usual the flight is full from Nassau with maybe 25% starting in Grand Cayman. The question is why are these travelers geting off in the Bahamas and not Cayman. I go to Nassau regularly. I know I wouldn’t chose to if I didn’t have to. So why do people go there on vacation.

I think there are a couple of factors. The slightly shorter flight in my mind is the smallest effect. I don’t think people flying transatlantic care about an extra 1.5 hours. So it has to be the destinations.
Dissecting the destinations is a huge topic and taking away my biases I still think Nassau is a dump compared to Cayman. But are most of these peoole visiting the out island?  I doubt it but I don’t have the stats. I would guess 80% or more stay in Nassau.
The question is are people visiting the Bahamas from the UK over Cayman due to price? In my experience the prices are about the same so it is unlikely a determining factor.

The only thing I can think of as a big persuading factor is marketing. The Bahamas have been pumping put great campaigns for years. The Cayman Islands haven’t really done this for a decade or more. Certainly Europe is no longer getting the marketing. I would guess the direct flights from BA could bring in 1200 people a month easily which is almost 15,000 a year which is $1. 2 million dollars for eac day they visit which has to be a week average minimum. So between 8 and 10 million dollars revenue for businesses per year on island. Not mentioning for the govt from airport taxes etc.

How can this market be left to its own devices, why isn’t it being encouraged through marketing, which why are we letting the Bahamas have everyone. This isn’t even raking into consideration other airlines flying through the USA from Europe such as Virgin.

The amount of money thrown at cruise tourism compared to stay over fly in tourism is crazy. Crazy because it is unsustainable. Unsustainable as the cruiseljnes are big companies who go where they want and don’t care what we as a destinations want. This is irregardless of a new port dock or our marketing.
The infrastructure is great for stay over guests. It’s not for cruise guests. We are ready for stay over guests.. Why aren’t we concentrating on this part of the market? Or even more scarily are we and it just isn’t working?

I sam sickened by your ability to sleep. Even in the big comfy chairs. Sitting is not a sleeping position how do you do it? Is it booze or pills? Or are you just freaks of nature who can sleep in a sitting position? Can you sleep standing up as well?

There are some things you have to do in life no matter what it costs. Those costs can be financial, emotional, time, physical or hell just about anything you hold a value to.

I was planning on doing an F1 event this coming year of 2012. I was planning on that event being Austin in November. It doesn’t look like that is going to happen. My alternate choice would be Montreal. It is still a possibility.

I am rethinking this though. I can see an F1 anytime, you don’t go for the racing cause you don’t have a clue what’s going on when at the circuit. Races are best viewed in TV.

There is one other event that has happened which is by far and away more monumental than a motor race. The Stone Roses have got back together as a band and touring. Possibly one of the reasons why people my age in the UK enjoyed music back in the 90′s. These guys were a students dream band. They are still one of my preferred bands and oh my god is their music good and standing the test of time.

Here’s the deal. I went to Glastonbury 95 mostly to see them headline. The festival started on Friday, The Stone Roses split as a band on Thursday or at least it was anounced then. So now I don’t just want to see them play I want to see them headline. I want the whole experience. So far they have announced T in the Park in Scotland, Fiji and Spain as headlining events. I am amazed 3 headlining gigs from a band who hasn’t played together in 17 years.

Right now none of these gigs interest me that much. T in the Park is probably top of the list. I will wait to see more headlining gigs get added and then decide. I will however be going to see the Stone Roses play live at long last in 2012. Manchesta forget about Oasis the real talent is back in business!

Not everyone has heard of Gomez, and that’s a shame. A great band that came out of the UK in te late 90′s making it big with awards in 1998. It would appear that many of use may have heard their music in TV and films. But I was amazed to see they are on their 7th album as of 2011 and I have only listened to two of them.

If you haven’t heard of Gomez before do yourself a favour and enrich your life with some of their stuff.

At properties in the Faroe Islands .. I don’t know why but it did and that led me to a photo of the harbour ..

Torshavn Harbour

Visit http://www.faroeislands.com/ I wanna go visit these islands now .. and I am thinking drive up through Scotland, boat to Faroe’s and then another boat to Iceland .. I wonder if that is possible?

I am very much not looking forward to.
35! There are quite a few evenings it us below zero. I feel unprepared for that for once.

So a little over a year ago some not so great neighbours moved out and some new ones moved in. Seemed to be a nice family local girl, American man and their child. Within a few weeks I am hearing rumours of how he had just gotten out of prison. I saw him dealing drugs during the evening to the early hours from his front door (the customers were not subtle driving up honking and shouting to get him out of bed). He was arrested for driving without a license. He left his wife. She brought him back (I think from the USA). He beat her and left again (this time Sam had to take her kid to school for her). She left him. House went up for sale. She comes back.

Then tonight I hear these screams, just blood curdling screams. I go outside to see what it is. It’s their kid. it’s now 10pm. He is HOWLING ‘mummy’ out over and over again. My mind goes to the worst thing. The man has just beat the crap out of her. I ask him if he is ok, he doesn’t calm down and walks away screaming. So I go back inside and watch from there make sure he’s ok.

His parents eventually come from somewhere, he starts to get quiet, I couldn’t see anything much as it was so dark. But going to be interesting to see what comes from this. I am still just hoping that they are still selling and moving out, I couldn’t care less about their situation. He has left her, She has left him they abuse each other and there is a poor kid stuck in the middle of it. The fucked up thing is the kid is the one truly suffering and in some weird part of their minds they are probably using him as the excuse/reason to stay together. It’s so not worth it.

But what can ya do about it hey?

Cheap electricity bills here we come. And airijg the house is sooo nice.