Tropical Storm Dorian is expected to hit Puerto Rico this afternoon, but how have other Caribbean islands been affected by the storm?
In a statement released Aug. 27, Frank Comito, CEO and director general of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), pointed out that the 33 countries and independently governed territories in the Caribbean span a distance from east to west that is equal to that from Los Angeles to Atlanta, and the range from north to south is equal to the distance from Canada to Miami.
“There are absolutely sunny skies across most of our region,” he said in the statement, “and we declare unequivocally that the region is open for business.”
Barbados, Saint Lucia, and several other Eastern Caribbean islands have successfully weathered the passage of Tropical Storm Dorian. Comito commended leaders on Barbados and Saint Lucia for their common-sense approach, effective communications, emergency management, as well as their continuing investment in infrastructure and upgrades to hotel properties.
“Thankfully, there was little negative impact from the storm. Airports, which were closed as required when sustained winds reach 40 knots, are reopened, and the few countries impacted in the Eastern Caribbean are again resuming their warm embrace of visitors to the islands,” said Comito in the statement, who stressed that when one part of the region is impacted by weather, it does not affect the tourism experience in other parts of the region.
While the storm system continues to impact parts of the region with wind and rainfall, Frank Comito, CEO and Director General of CHTA, lauded regional governments and the tourism industry for their level of preparedness and their timely informing of residents and visitors of the potential threats posed by the tropical system.
“We take weather in the region seriously – there is no mad scramble, but at the same time, there’s no resting on laurels,” said Comito.
He commended leaders in Barbados and St. Lucia for their commonsense approach, effective communications, emergency management, as well as their continuing investment in infrastructure and upgrades to hotel properties.
As the tropical storm moves across the region in the days ahead, Comito encouraged other countries and territories to remain vigilant, while reminding the traveling public to monitor weather reports before they travel. He called on travelers to monitor airline schedules, as some may be adjusted to account for the storm but should be quickly rescheduled if affected.
