Cayman Islands Have Overcome Hurricane Ivan’s Aftermath

Air arrivals in the Cayman Islands in 2006 increased 59.3 percent over figures for 2005, the year of recovery following Hurricane Ivan’s disastrous visit in September 2004.

Total air arrivals last year were 267,257 visitors. The U.S. market accounted for almost 220,000 of the grand total, according to statistics compiled by the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism. The Northeast region of the U.S. contributed almost 70,000 visitors, up from 34,000 in 2005.

Meanwhile, cruise arrivals jumped 7.3 percent in 2006 over 2005 to 1.9 million passengers. The busiest cruise months were January through March 2006 when the 200,000 passenger mark was exceeded each month.