Island welcomes Canadians back after Irma
Residents use hurricane’s aftermath to create better businesses and properties
I was standing in a line at the Cayo Coco Jardines del Rey International Airport in Cuba, waiting to check in to my Toronto-bound flight, when an elderly Cuban man — with a crinkly face and wide smile — approached me.
He was holding up his phone and pointing to a photo of the airport a few months earlier. It was a scene of complete devastation: the roof blown off by Hurricane Irma, debris covering the floor. Looking around, it was hard to believe this was the same place, transformed from rubble to shiny-new in only a matter of months.
Irma, at about 900 kilometres in diameter, affected all of Cuba. It hit the northern coast — including Cayo Coco and Cayo Santa Maria — hardest, with its eye.
“It was the first Category 5 hurricane in Cuba since 1932, so it is not a trivial thing,” said Eloy Govea, director of tourism for the Cuba Tourist Board in Canada.
Irma made landfall in Cuba on Sept. 8, after cutting a swath of destruction through the Caribbean. But hours after the storm had passed, the Cuban people sprang into action, working day and night to clear debris, restore power and rebuild damaged properties.
Most hotels and resorts (some of which Irma had flattened) have reopened, just in time for winter-weary Canadians looking for a dose of sunshine. Tour operators and airlines that suspended travel after the hurricane are also up and running.
The Cuban government has an extensive development program in place that includes building more than 100,000 new rooms through 2030.
“Because of that, we had plenty of supplies on site, so the decision was ‘let’s halt everything new to support the main task,’ which is the recovery,” Govea said. “If we didn’t have those resources on site it would have taken much, much longer.”
They’re not just rebuilding; many properties have used this as an opportunity to renovate, revitalize and upgrade their facilities.
“The oldest properties were the ones that benefitted the most,” Govea said. “The destinations affected opened with considerable improvements.”
Some properties expanded their lobbies and upgraded room amenities; some added brand-new features, such as a piano bar. In a few cases, resorts expect to add a star or half-star to their rating, thanks to new and improved amenities.
Govea said one silver lining of Irma — and her counter-clockwise winds — is that many of the beaches along the northern coast are now wider.
“The way it hit us allowed for the winds to bring lots of sand,” he said. The government is also undergoing a “sand relocation” project to extend and improve all beaches in the area.
With its causeway restored, Cayo Coco — a sandy paradise with scenic beaches and flamingo colonies — is ready for scuba divers, kite surfers and sun-worshippers. And many of its 5,000 hotel rooms have been repaired, renovated or revamped.
In neighbouring Cayo Santa Maria, repairs are now complete on the causeway that connects the resort island to the mainland. And authorities discovered a pleasant surprise when Irma retreated: Cayo Santa Maria’s 13 kilometres of beach now have more sand and more dunes.
Varadero escaped the full fury of Irma, though heavy winds whipped the popular resort destination. It didn’t take long for a full recovery, and its cabarets, restaurants and golf courses are up and running.
The cities of Holguin, Santiago de Cuba, Trinidad and Cienfuegos, as well as Cayo Largo del Sur — a resort island off Cuba’s southern coast — are also receiving visitors again.
Havana’s seawall, the malecon, bore the brunt of Irma, and 20-foot swells flooded low-lying neighbourhoods. Many of Havana’s facilities, however, were untouched, and today its colourful colonial buildings, punctuated by sounds of salsa music, are welcoming back visitors.
“Saying that we’ve recovered is a huge understatement,” Govea said. “We have better businesses now, better properties now, our people are more welcoming than ever . . . and we are looking forward to having millions of Canadians back.”
Cuba has 10 international airports that connect to 30 Canadian cities, offering Canadians an opportunity to explore the entire island.
Irma may have battered Cuba, but she couldn’t damage the resilience and spirit of the Cuban people, nor did she destroy the natural beauty this country is known for. While restoration work continues, Cubans are back in business — and their doors are wide open to Canadians.
“It was the first Category 5 hurricane in Cuba since 1932, so it is not a trivial thing.” ELOY GOVEA CUBA TOURIST BOARD IN CANADA