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Press Releases
December 5, 2005
Coming back to life after Wilma
Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico - Mexico President Vicente Fox pledged that 80% of the tourism destinations affected by Wilma would be up and running again in just 2 weeks time, just in time for the start of the tourism-dependent region's busy season.
The present recovery status seems to support that pledge, with many hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions already up and running.
Just 5 weeks ago, Hurricane Wilma caused considerable damage to Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, particularly the resort city of Cancun, which is the country's most important tourist hub. The storm's impact will have lasting economic effects, in the form of unemployment and lost wages, but Mexico's locals have remained positive and continue to rebuild in record time to get the tourist destination back to normal as quickly as possible.
Presently in Cancun, flights are operating normally to and from the Cancun International airport and water, electricity and phone services are working in every establishment. All roads in the hotel zone and downtown areas are cleared and accessible with many gas stations operating again as well.
"We have received unprecedented federal and local response and plan to continue making remarkable headway in the coming days and weeks," said Artemio Santos Santos, executive Director of the Cancun Convention and Visitor's Bureau (CVB). "We want the world to know that Cancun is open for business and that when visitors come back they will see an even better, stronger Cancun."
According to the Cancun Convention and Visitors Bureau, 5,614 of Cancun's 27,822 lodging units will be available by November 30th;12,323 by December 20th. Over 75% of the city's units will be open for occupancy by the end of June 2006.
Popular resorts such as the Radisson Hacienda located downtown and the Riu Cancun are currently open. Others aren't too far behind - J.W. Marriott is scheduled to reopen by February 1st and the Westin on March 16th.
As other areas of the Caribbean and Southeast United States have learned from their own experiences during the 2005 Hurricane Season, Mexico will need tremendous financial assistance to bring the tourist-driven economy back to life.
NAFINSA (Mexico's government loan corporation) is providing loans totaling US$340 million for small businesses (shops, restaurants, etc.) that need assistance with recovery.
President Fox has announced federal recovery funds totaling US$20 million for beach recovery and US$10 million for hotel zone infrastructure restorations.
To assist the economic recovery efforts of Mexican resort areas, the Mexican Tourism Board launched a $10 million (U.S. dollars) international promotional campaign aimed at bringing tourists back into the country. TV and print ads will lead up to a re-launch event on December 15th in time to kick off the winter tourist season.
Cruise passengers are finding new ports of call on their itineraries thanks to Hurricane Wilma, further affecting tourist-driven economies for destinations such as Cozumel, Mexico. Ships are substituting days at sea or other ports such, as Puerto Costa Maya, instead of docking in Cozumel.
Cruise lines say they will return to Cozumel as soon as possible. Until the piers are repaired, some lines, including Carnival and Royal Caribbean, are sending passengers in on tenders, smaller boats that shuttle passengers to the island.
Although Wilma's winds and rain caused some beaches along the Peninsula to lose sand, tourists to the areas between the Riu Cancun hotel and the downtown/mainland facing the Bahía de Mujeres will find more sand between their toes brought from currents during the storm.
Tourists are currently able to enjoy attractions such as Dolphin Discovery (Puerto Aventuras) and Aquaworld, both operating and Cancun nightclubs such as The City and Coco Bongo will open their doors by mid-December.
Cancun-based Grupo Anderson's, renowned for flagship restaurant brands, Señor Frog's and Carlos 'n Charlie's, lost its corporate office and experienced damage to its restaurants in Cancun, Cozumel and Playa del Carmen.
The company's restaurants, popular with tourists for their lively atmospheres and authentic Mexican food, are being restored much more quickly than first anticipated and the majority are expected to reopen by the end of the year.
"The Carlos 'n Charlie's in Playa del Carmen has already reopened, and we hope to have both the Carlos 'n Charlie's and Señor Frog's in Cozumel, as well as the Carlos 'n Charlie's in Cancun, open before the end of the year," said Jorge Hinojosa, VP of development for Grupo Anderson's. "We have a lot more work to do, but things are progressing more quickly than we ever expected."
All Grupo Anderson's restaurants located in downtown Cancun are currently open, and the remaining two, located in the La Isla Shopping Village, will be open as soon as the complex is completely repaired, which is projected to be soon after the New Year.
With the reopening of many of hotels, restaurants and attractions quickly approaching, locals are optimistic about the return of tourists and good times back to Mexico and its islands.
For ongoing updates about Hurricane Wilma's recovery efforts, please visit www.senorfrogs.com/wilma.
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Media Contact:
Ashley H. Hallmark,
PR Manager
Quantified Marketing Group
407.936.1010
321.663.1209 c.
ahallmark@quantifiedmarketing.com
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