Garson Gardiner - 2024 Tourism Ambassador
The Ministry of Tourism and Ports and the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism are thrilled to announce that Garson Gardiner, is the 2024 Tourism Ambassador after winning the highly anticipated 2024 Tourism Ambassador Competition Final.
The competition final, held on Wednesday, 1 May at the George Town Yacht Club, showcased the talents and dedication of four outstanding young Caymanian students. The four students found their place on the final competition stage after qualifying through the first round of competition which invited all 14- to 17-year-old students from both public and private schools in the Cayman Islands to submit video presentations on a selected topic.
Along with Gardiner, the competition finalists were Kai Roberts, Suwayne Young-Watson, both aged 15 years, and Kiley Scott, aged 14 years, students at Layman E. Scott Sr. High School. Each of the four finalists captivated the audience and judges with their compelling presentations on tourism-related topics such as cross-cultural collaboration, ‘Blue Tourism’, and solo travel. The four students also presented on a mystery question as the final qualifying round to determine the 2024 Tourism Ambassador.
After careful deliberation by the distinguished panel of judges, which included Deputy Chief Officer of Ministry of Tourism and Ports, Perry Powell; Kimberley Dangerfield, Cayman Islands Tourism Association Director representing the Sister Islands; and Dr Ginelle Nelson, Clinical Forensic Psychologist and Toastmasters representative, the title of 2024 Tourism Ambassador was awarded to Gardiner.
Garson Gardiner’s impressive achievements, including his participation in the Cayman Islands Youth Parliament, success in the Conyers Debate Tournaments, accolades in essay competitions, contributions to his school’s Robotic7s team which won the 2023 – 2024 Centerstage competition, and his artistic talents with the violin, winning multiple gold awards for the National Children’s Festival of the Arts and being a 3-time finalist for the National Young Musician of the Year competition, all exemplify his dedication to excellence. His passionate presentation on cross-cultural collaboration in tourism was well researched and resonated with both the judges and the esteemed guests in attendance.
In his role as the 2024 Tourism Ambassador, Gardiner will represent the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean Tourism Organisation’s Regional Tourism Youth Congress, slated to be held in the Cayman Islands in September 2024.