FIVE months after
hurricanes Irma and
Maria forced popular
tourist destinations, from
south Florida to Puerto
Rico and the US Virgin
Islands, to halt business,
operators are driving a
tourism recovery, in part
by pushing specials into
the market.
Claudia Naudé, team
leader: Destination
Owners and Product
Manufacturer: Cruising,
Australia & New Zealand,
of Flight Centre Travel
Group, says cruise
lines are promoting the
Caribbean with special
offers and reduced
costs.
More hotels are
continuing to open in the
affected destinations
every month. Some
properties have also
used the renovation
period to refurbish their
facilities. About 49%
of Caribbean Hotel and
Tourism Association
member hotels in
impacted destinations
have opened. Those still
closed are expected
to reopen between
September and
December.
Ros Chimes, owner of
Ros-4-Travel, warns that
the hurricane season –
from June to November
for the Caribbean and
eastern seaboard of
the US – can never
be predicted. “This is
why cruise lines offer
reduced rates over this
period – to compensate
for lower traveller
numbers,” she says. For
travellers who opt to visit
during this period, Ros
suggests that clients
ensure they have good
travel insurance and
flexible air tickets.
Caribbean tourism makes a recovery
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