14 June 2011, The Cayman Islands - "Committee to study time change", by Brent Fuller, Cayman Free Press
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The Stingray City Sandbar in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands.
Photo © Alexander Krivenyshev, WorldTimeZone.com
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Daylight Saving Time to be considered
Premier McKeeva Bush announced the upcoming study of a switch to Daylight Saving Time in the Cayman Islands during his budget address Friday.
The Cayman Islands currently runs on US Eastern Standard Time for the entire year. When the US makes the switch to "jump ahead" one hour in the spring, Cayman stays on Standard Time – meaning it shifts an hour back from the east coast of the United States.
Consequently, when sunlight still beams on the eastern US at 8pm during the summer months, Cayman’s shores and warm waters are wrapped in darkness.
Premier Bush said representations have been made from several sectors of the business community regarding the "jump ahead" to Eastern Daylight Time. "Several organisations such as the Chamber of Commerce, the Cayman Islands Tourism Association and Cayman Finance have indicated their support for this possibility," Mr. Bush said.
Among the benefits of a switch to Daylight Saving Time listed by Mr. Bush are:
The financial services sector would be in sync with its major New York client base.
The arrival and departure times from most US airports would remain in step year round.
From a cruise tourism perspective, there would be slightly longer stays in port during the summer months.
An extra hour of daylight could encourage more physical activity through outdoor exercise.
The Premier did not state whether he supported the change but said he would set up a committee that would "fully appreciate the benefits and drawbacks" of the time change.
The group – which has yet to be selected – would report to Cabinet members at a later date.
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