Tips for Caribbean after the hurricanes
Before booking your trip south, make sure to do your research from a variety of trusted sources
Hurricanes that swept through the Caribbean caused widespread devastation and forced many visitors to cut short their vacations, or cancel their southern travel plans altogether.
The damage and loss of life was bad enough, but the impact on the tourism industry, a crucial source of income for many, has yet to be seen as local folks struggle to rebuild their homes and infrastructure.
And although places such as Puerto Rico, Barbuda, Dutch St. Martin, Dominica and the Virgin Islands were severely wracked by storms, many such as Aruba, the Bahamas, Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and others escaped relatively unscathed.
While our travel dollars are essential in helping return to normal in the hard hit areas, a lot of people planning winter getaways wonder about conditions.
“I’m a bit leery of reports posted on the internet that have not been verified, regarding whether resorts are truly ready for guests in January,” Toronto Star reader Heather wrote in a recent email to the Travel section. She asks: “What’s the best option for travellers to obtain trusted information?”
Fortunately, there are many good sources of information available. Some resorts have already issued statements on their websites indicating they have either not been affected by storms, or sustained only minimal damage.
Travel and tour operators are also involved in assessing the damage in hurricane-hit areas and some have already announced dates when locations they serve are expected to be back in business. One example is Air Transat, which organized a four-day news media trip to Cuba recently in partnership with Cuba’s Ministry of Tourism for the purpose of informing vacationers and travel agencies of conditions ahead of the winter travel season.
Timely information about safety conditions and areas to avoid, entry and exit requirements, local laws and culture, possible health hazards and health restrictions, natural hazards and climate, and where to find help while travelling in more than 200 countries can be accessed via the travel advice and advisory page of the government of Canada’s website.
It’s a good idea to check twice, when planning a trip and just before heading out, as conditions can change between booking and departure dates.
Free to download, Canada’s Travel Smart app provides up-to-date travel advice and alerts on issues ranging from political calamity abroad to wait times at Canada-U.S. border crossings.
And Registration of Canadians Abroad, is a free sign-up service in which the government relays info about emergencies abroad, such as natural disasters and civil unrest, or even a personal emergency at home.
Vacation planners can also do some of their own research via resort or hotel websites or their 1-800 phone lines, to find out if they have been affected, the state of damage and repair and whether construction will be completed or ongoing during their stay.
Checking verified reviews from actual guests on a variety of booking sites is also a good source of current information about conditions at specific resorts, hotels, restaurants and attractions.
The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s Travel Update page lists the islands not damaged by the hurricanes, monitors the state of those that were and has set up a Caribbean Tourism Recovery Fund to help in the relief efforts.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center’s website is the best place to keep track of developing weather conditions in southern travel regions.
When natural disasters occur, a lot of travellers are forced to cut short vacations and pay extra for early flights back home, and this is where trip interruption insurance pays off in recovering most or all unexpected expenses, depending on the extent of a policy’s coverage. hstancu@thestar.ca