Puerto Rico ready for tourists

Even after Maria, Caribbean island is more than able to receive travellers

Because tourism to Puerto Rico is such an important part of the Caribbean economy, publications devoted solely to travel have devoted a large part of their recent space to that island.

And, generally, they have been gratified by the research they have devoted to the subject.

Reporters sent to experience the island’s recovery have written detailed accounts stating that the average visitor is no longer badly affected by the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

The island’s cruise-ship industry was the first to return to normal.

So thoroughly were Puerto Rico’s port facilities repaired and improved that on several days of the week, multiple giant cruise ships are now docking with full complements of passengers. About the only major sightseeing attraction still closed to them is the El Yunque National Forest.

The hotel situation is almost as promising. Though two or three major resorts still are shut down, some 130 hotels have fully reopened, most of them situated on white-sand beaches as inviting as ever.

Restaurants, too, have largely reopened, and prices are moderate because of the smaller tourist crowds arriving to patronize them.

Most important, the island’s airport — the most heavily used in the Caribbean — is fully operational, charging moderate rates for the many daily flights it receives.

And finally, the famous beaches of Puerto Rico are as pleasant and inviting as ever, and largely unaffected by the damaging hurricane of the past year.

I’m devoting this space to the recovery of tourism to Puerto Rico because the decision to vacation there is of ethical importance.

The visitor brings help to a people who have suffered greatly from that unfortunate act of nature. And though several purely residential and outlying areas away from the popular Old San Juan still are without power, the residents benefit from your visits to the many touristic areas that are completely rebuilt and resupplied.

Arthur Frommer is the pioneering founder of the Frommer’s Travel Guide book series. He co-hosts the radio program, “The Travel Show,” with his travel correspondent daughter Pauline Frommer. Find more destinations online and read Arthur Frommer’s blog at frommers.com.