Mastic Trail receives award from online travel site
(CNS): Tours along one of the Cayman Islands most under-rated attractions have been awarded a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence. Visitors to the interactive online travel guide have given the National Trust’s guided Mastic Trail Tour top marks, which is sure to raise the profile of this nature trail. To receive the coveted award, a tour or attraction must score in the top 10% worldwide for traveler feedback and maintain an overall review rating of 4 or higher out of a possible five. They must also have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least 12 months. Additional criteria also include a certain volume of reviews within the last year.
The Mastic Trail is 2.3 miles long and the guided walk takes approximately two and a half to three hours. Visitors get the chance to experience a fascinating exploration deep into Cayman's wild interior, in an area where the woodland has been evolving undisturbed for the last two million years.
Although nowhere near as well-known as Cayman’s marine attractions, the Mastic Trail may now see a surge of interest as 75% of surveyed travelers say they are more likely to use a business with a visible TripAdvisor endorsement.
The last worldwide public recognition of the Mastic Trail was some twelve years ago in 1995, when Islands Magazine chose the Mastic Trail as a finalist in their annual Eco-tourism Award competition.
"Virtually all of the reviewers who participated in a National Trust guided tour were highly enthusiastic about their experience,” said National TrustField Officer and renowned guide, Stuart Mailer. “The Trust will continue to work hard to provide our visitors and residents the best in service and to deliver the kind of experiences that keep them coming back year after year”
Mastic Trail Tours are offered Tuesday through Friday mornings, $20 for Trust members, $24 for non-members. Additional days and private tours may also be available. Special tours for small school groups and other local organisations are also available by prior arrangement.
Email smailer@nationaltrust.org.ky or call 749-1121 for reservations.
Category: Science and Nature
This wouldn't happen to be the same mastic trail that the government was considering selling recently is it?
That is the one.
It is a shame the Butterfly Farm went. It was the best tourist attraction in Grand Cayman.
Just goes to show you important our environment is to our visitors.Now if we can just get the powers that be to see that as well we might get somewhere before its too late.I have long said that we need to get more into eco tourism and believe me we have a very diverse environment here and lets not forget our Sister Islands as they have probably MORE unspoiled areas than we do at least for now.Please Govt wake up and smell the roses before its too late.
Great news. Stuart is a great guy and great guide!
Does anyone know how many tourists visited the mastic trail last year? Can we move ten busses a day 5 days a week? That would be 200 people a day. Too many people? Thats why we need cruise lines , they need 100 busses a day.
Can they use taxis? 2 people to a cab US$ 50 per hour $200 per day?? Rent a car only way to go to visit eastern district from 7 mile beach hotels.
When one checks what is truly profitable , this would be like opening a rest. in east end to serve 10 people a day. We need a lot more then a 3 hour walk through bush in a 100 degree day with mosquitoes . Plus hope that you are physically fit and that you don't need medical assistance to come out with a tourist weighing 175-200 lbs. with a broken or sprained ankle. I think this is not for everyone who comes to a hotel on 7 mile beach.
We have a group of europeans who come here and love riding bicycles instead of using transportation. They would probably ride the obstacle course and walk the mastic trail and start from George town. They could bring their own bicycles and drink water then go back to their ship. They would love it and tell all their friends how gung-ho the experience was like. We wouldget write ups of how great the ecotourism of the trees and probably get an award for the guide. Hurray!!
Let us hope that this may bring home to everyone just how important our environment is to us – not only from a tourism perspective but for survival.
well done!
Mastic trail is great, but there are no CS jobs there so Cayman doesn't care.
Great news for our tourism industry and country yet again.
Granted, the naysayers will once more attempt to undermind and discredit this latest accolade – but sorry … you can't argue with customer reviews.
Great job guys!
(One more great reason to switch our focus to stayover tourism. CIG, put the astonomically expensive, not to mention fickle ROI-esque, cruise berthing project on hold and work on extending and improving our airport facilities. How much more evidence do you need?)
Whodatis, what happens if more Brits start coming? You will be seriously conflicted. Careful what you wish for?
Lol!
The more the merrier.
Honestly, I think many of you get me wrong. I have nothing against Brits or any other nationality per se – I only have issues with the UK's style of government in relation to Cayman at times.
However, I do despise all a-holes regardless of nationality – Caymanian as well … and unfortunately, we have a few swimming around here on CNS.
(And don't you dare say, yes – Whodatis is one of them!)
Anyway, your post made me laugh … it's all good!
🙂
Wow!! Whodatis has a great sense of humour.
Totally agree! St Barts is doing extremely well with boutique type cruise ships which do not require a huge berth. Smaller cruiseships carry passangers with deeper pockets and who will appresiate our natural environment, spend more in our shops and have a lower environmental cost to us. Further the mega cruiseships drive away these type of discerning passengers.
Could not agree more as well.
If I agree 100% with a post from the “Who” is that a sign of the impending apocalypse?
Lol!
"The Who"??
I'm loving that poster! Glad we see eye-to.eye on at least one issue.
Let us not get too comfortable though … there is always tomorrow!
🙂
Extremely good news for once. Keep up the good work.
Finally someting positive. Lovely news.