The tourism destinations of the Mexican Caribbean reported no major damage resulting from Hurricane Emily…
The tourism destinations of the Mexican Caribbean reported no major damage resulting from Hurricane Emily, which crossed the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula the early morning of Monday, July 18.
In an official statement, Gabriela Rodriguez, the tourism secretary of Quintana Roo State (home to such tourism destinations as Cancun, Cozumel and the Mayan Riviera), said contingency plans implemented by the state worked as planned, resulting in no reported deaths or injuries and only minor wind and rain damage such as downed trees and signs, broken windows, slight flooding in low-lying areas and interruptions in the flow of electricity and drinking water some areas. She said in most areas these services were restored immediately, and that service in the remaining affected areas is slated to be restored before Friday.
The official announced that as a preventative measure, 37,500 tourists were transferred to hotels fully equipped as shelters, while 7,000 were housed in other shelters and transported back to their hotels after the storm. Most visitors wishing to return to their cities of origin before the hurricane were flown home, she said, adding that the area`s main infrastructure, including airports, marinas, ferries and highways, remained virtually intact.
According to the state tourism secretary, Cancun has been operating as normal since the airport reopened early the morning of Monday, July 18, only a few hours following the passage of the storm. Occupancy levels in the city`s 26,000 guest rooms registered 70 percent, with this figure expected to increase even more in the next few days with the arrival of tourists on summer vacation, she said, while Isla Mujeres was also functioning normally, with ferry service operating on regular schedule.
In Cozumel, 1,200 of the nearly 4,000 hotel rooms have suffered broken windows, water or sand damage, with hotel owners making repairs as quickly as possible, according the the official. She added that damage to the road around the island caused by fallen trees and flooding had already been repaired, and the road was operating normally.
The island`s port, closed from July 14 to 18 as a preventative measure, is operating normally, receiving the customary flow of cruise ships that are estimated to bring 25,000 tourists to the island`s shores before July 24, Gonzalez reported. The normal flow of goods and passengers back and forth with Playa del Carmen and Puerto Morelos has resumed as well, she added.
Along the Mayan Riviera, Emily`s point of entrance to the Yucatan Peninsula, some 8,000 of the total of 24,000 rooms suffered damage that, although largely minor, require them to be closed and repaired to restore them to the high standards required for their operation, the Quintana Roo official explained. She added that most of these rooms would be habitable within the week, with remaining rooms ready to receive visitors within 30 to 40 days. The highways did not sustain any damage save a minor roadway between Tulum and Punta Allen, which continues to be blocked with fallen vegetation, Gonzalez explained.
Mexico Tourism officials said information would be provided Friday, July 22 regarding hotels that would close temporarily, in order to allow the tourists who have booked rooms in said establishments to seek other resort options.
State authorities led by governor Felix Gonzalez supervised operations before, during and after the hurricane, while Mexican president Vicente Fox arrived shortly after the passage of the storm with some of his Cabinet members to determine the extent of damages and deploy the necessary support efforts. Mexico Tourism Secretary Rodolfo Elizondo Torres, meanwhile, remained in the area until July 20 to meet with local authorities in the affected tourism zones, assess damages and propose support measures.
In a written statement, the secretary of the United Nations` International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) praised Mexico`s hurricane preparedness, particularly efforts by government authorities and citizens to prevent casualties. The entity declared that Mexico has proven its capacity to deal with natural disasters.
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