Airbnb a Factor in Increased Tourism on Cayman Brac

[KathyV]

According to this article in the Cayman Compass, Cayman Brac has been seeing steady increases in the number of visitors listing Brac as their destination, despite the closures of Divi Tiari and the Alexander Hotel, primarily due to the availability of Airbnb rentals and the availability of flights.

My husband and I always spend time on GC before heading over to Brac or Little, so our data is only counted for GC; the recent 12% increase only includes people specifically coming to Cayman to stay on Brac.

I love Cayman Brac because it is a quiet, uncrowded, safe, easy access, sleepy and lovely little place with good diving and good facilities; but I understand that the people that live there need to make a living and that business owners need to make a profit - I just hope it doesn't ever get too big and prosperous!

I wonder if the recent increased interest of Brac as a shore diving destination has contributed, in a small way, to the general increase in visitors?

Brac sees recent boost in tourism | Cayman Compass

 

[drrich2]

I found this interesting from the article you linked:

"Diving continues to be a major attraction for the Brac, with 39.8 percent of visitors stating that the activity is their main purpose for visiting the island – 54 percent of visitors go there for “recreation/pleasure,” 3.4 percent for visiting relatives, 1.4 percent for business, and 1.4 percent for “other.”"

I wonder what besides diving Cayman Brac is considered a prime destination for, in regards to 'recreation/pleasure?' I'm not knocking it, just pointing out there are other options...

Put another way, if you weren't a diver, would you ever go to Cayman Brac?

Richard.

 

[KathyV]

I found this interesting from the article you linked:

"Diving continues to be a major attraction for the Brac, with 39.8 percent of visitors stating that the activity is their main purpose for visiting the island – 54 percent of visitors go there for “recreation/pleasure,” 3.4 percent for visiting relatives, 1.4 percent for business, and 1.4 percent for “other.”"

I wonder what besides diving Cayman Brac is considered a prime destination for, in regards to 'recreation/pleasure?' I'm not knocking it, just pointing out there are other options...

Put another way, if you weren't a diver, would you ever go to Cayman Brac?

Richard.

Good question and the answer is "maybe" or "maybe not". We like having access to the restaurants, shops, and activities (and diving) available on Grand Cayman but we are not crazy about the crowds and traffic. We prefer to stay away from the 7MB and George Town and sample the more commercial offerings on our own schedule; but you have to be willing to rent a car and drive on the left if you don't stay in the more popular areas on Grand Cayman.

But if you love nature, hiking, biking, bird-watching, climbing, and caving then Brac would be a great place to visit. I am told that there is also very good snorkeling available from shore but I haven't tried it; and there is boating, swimming, kayaking, and SUPs available for those that enjoy watersports. There are also some nice beaches, nothing to compare with 7MB, but nice places to hang out and soak up the sun and sea, and fishing is available if that is of interest.

There are a few small restaurants and fun places to eat and hangout but not many, and I am not aware of any high-end dining since the Le Soleil restaurants closed. Like the rest of Cayman - Brac is not cheap - but there are added expenses to travel to the sister islands and to ship goods to the Brac and Little. The grocery stores are modern and filled with many food options, but the availability of fresh fruit, meat, and vegetables varies with the arrival of the weekly supply barge. One thing I like about all the Cayman Islands is that you don't have extra worries about food and water safety and tropical diseases, and I am sure that many young women and couples are pleased that the country of Cayman has been removed from the CDC's Zika warning list, unlike most Caribbean destinations.

When we are on GC we prefer to stay in an apartment or condo because there are so many options available, but when we are on CB or LC we prefer a diver-dedicated, all-inclusive resort because it so easy, relatively economical, the food is good and the resort offers some entertainments - like tennis, a small spa, a lovely pool, beach bar activities like Bingo, Trivia, or Karaoke - and drinking! There is also a pool, hammocks, and lounge chairs, and laundry facilities.

When I was a kid my family would load up the car and rent a cottage on a lake in Indiana for our family vacation. We had some great times and wonderful memories, and we didn't even have the convenience of electronic diversions. I remember a small B&W TV that only got one fuzzy channel. We cooked out and played cards and checkers and swam and read and explored the woods. The big event was to boat over to a small resort on the lake with a restaurant and a beach with water slide, and sometimes there was county fair nearby. Some people also enjoyed the fishing but we weren't interested. So there are many more attractions on Cayman Brac than there were around that little lake in Indiana! And the Brackers are nice people, but so were the Hoosiers!

So some people might go crazy and get very bored on Brac and others might find it a great place to relax, chill out, and get away from it all and enjoy nature. I guess it depends on what you are looking for in a vacation destination.

 

[caydiver]

My kids (adults now) both avid and experienced divers are going to go next weekend on a climbing holiday adventure on the bluffs. So I guess there are some other activities. My understanding is that the Airbnb venues would require licensing and they are hoping to open up areas where conventional rentals are not available. It will be interesting to see how they are able to keep the product level high without any army of inspectors ready to inspect the potential properties and also to push ahead with plans to entice the overall targetted market while opening up to Airbnb. The concepts don’t necessarily seem to go hand in hand.

 

[scubadada]

Interesting article @KathyV

I've been to Grand Cayman many times and Little Cayman twice. I had my first visit to Cayman Brac just last October Cayman Brac Beach Resort/Reef Divers Oct 23-30, 2017. I was unaware of shore diving and stayed at CBBR and dived with Reef Divers Shore diving on Cayman Brac?. I visited Brac Scuba Shack on a day off due to Tropical Storm Philippe and also visited a few of the shore diving sites. Brac Scuba Shack has a special on their website for 6 days of 2 tank boat dives and unlimited shore diving with or without accommodations in a private home with pool.

I wonder if the increase in Brac tourism has increased activity at CBBR and/or Scuba Shack? CBBR has had a nice upgrade, shore diving on Brac has just started to gain notoriety. If I were to visit Brac again, I would be very tempted to do a combination of boat and shore dives. Scuba Shack does allow solo shore diving, see post #41 of the shore diving thread linked above.

 

[KathyV]

Interesting article @KathyV

I've been to Grand Cayman many times and Little Cayman twice. I had my first visit to Cayman Brac just last October Cayman Brac Beach Resort/Reef Divers Oct 23-30, 2017. I was unaware of shore diving and stayed at CBBR and dived with Reef Divers Shore diving on Cayman Brac?. I visited Brac Scuba Shack on a day off due to Tropical Storm Philippe and also visited a few of the shore diving sites. Brac Scuba Shack has a special on their website for 6 days of 2 tank boat dives and unlimited shore diving with or without accommodations in a private home with pool.

I wonder if the increase in Brac tourism has increased activity at CBBR and/or Scuba Shack? CBBR has had a nice upgrade, shore diving on Brac has just started to gain notoriety. If I were to visit Brac again, I would be very tempted to do a combination of boat and shore dives. Scuba Shack does allow solo shore diving, see post #41 of the shore diving thread linked above.

Could be! We are fine with the options of 2-3 boat dives per day with the chance of 1 or 2 night dives per week when we visit Brac and Little Cayman, but that's not enough for some avid divers that want 4-5 dives per day, so adding options for shore diving would increase the diving opportunities without prohibitively increasing the costs.

If you do go back to Brac and decide to mix boat and shore diving options, please tell us all about it!

 

[arew+4]

With a family of five divers, shore diving greatly increases the attractiveness of a potential destination. $30 a day vs. $30-$60 a tank adds up quick. That and the make your own schedule works much better with three teens who seem to believe the sun doesn't rise until noon.

How is the wifi/internet access on the island? I could'nt care less, but the constant whining from the aformentioned teens could ruin a trip.

 

[scubadada]

With a family of five divers, shore diving greatly increases the attractiveness of a potential destination. $30 a day vs. $30-$60 a tank adds up quick. That and the make your own schedule works much better with three teens who seem to believe the sun doesn't rise until noon.

How is the wifi/internet access on the island? I could'nt care less, but the constant whining from the aformentioned teens could ruin a trip.

The internet access at CBBR was excellent, no reason it could not be elsewhere. I suppose if you were going to use an Airbnb, you could inquire ahead of time about the internet access

 

[KathyV]

With a family of five divers, shore diving greatly increases the attractiveness of a potential destination. $30 a day vs. $30-$60 a tank adds up quick. That and the make your own schedule works much better with three teens who seem to believe the sun doesn't rise until noon.

How is the wifi/internet access on the island? I could'nt care less, but the constant whining from the aformentioned teens could ruin a trip.

I think that the Wi-Fi internet varies from great to crummy. We typically have had much better, more consistent internet and Wi-Fi access on Brac as compared to Little Cayman.

On Brac we have only stayed at the Cayman Brac Beach Resort and our Wi-Fi internet connections have been great, and the TV in the beach bar gets excellent reception and a wide range of channels. There is also a general use computer in the lobby that guests use to print boarding passes, upload photos, etc. and it works well.

So that all sounds good - but the TV reception inside the rooms is terrible, you only get a few ghostly channels with a lot of static. They do offer dvd players and will loan dvds, or you could bring some favorites with you. We are not usually there to watch tv so it hasn't been a problem but if you were stuck with bad weather it could be pertinent. They also have a small gym, a lending library, and a small spa so there are things to do - and tennis courts and a gorgeous pool if that is of interest.

So I guess it varies and you will have to ask about the wi-fi at the place you are planning to stay. If you contact Brac Scuba Shack they can probably advise you about a place to stay that will work for your family. There is a nice looking condo complex near CBBR, where the Captain's Table restaurant is located, so that might be an option. I don't know anything about the pricing or Wi-Fi though.

I just took a look at some of the packages offered by the CBBR and getting 2 rooms (one room with double occupancy and one room with triple occupancy) would cost about $4,100 and that includes all meals, 17 boat dives pp, transfers, taxes, and hotel service charges. It doesn't include drinks, dive shop tips, or nitrox so those would be extra. And of course the airfares are extra, but there are usually good options available from the eastern US and I see that you are in PA.

If you stay at a condo and shore dive you will need to rent a car and that is an expense, but you won't need a car at CBBR and bicycles are available free for guests to use. We usually get a car just for one day to explore the island.

CBBR's pricing doesn't sound too bad to me an all inclusive vacation for a family of 5 divers, but the teenagers would have to get up early to catch the morning dive boat! And you might be able to find a large house or condo for rent that would give your large gang more space.

I guess you need to sit down and figure out the best options, but someplace on Brac - boat and/or shore diving - might be a good fit for your diving family!

 

[scubadada]

There seems to be a large number of rentals available on Cayman Brac for visitors. Overall, the economy on Cayman Brac seemed depressed when I was there last October. I rode a bike around pretty extensively during my visit. There were many commercial spaces that were empty and were for sale or lease. There were many private homes for sale. Perhaps the increase in tourism will help improve the overall economy. The closure of Divi Tiara and the associated timeshares certainly impacted dive tourism. I'm not at all sure who stayed at the Alexander Hotel.