A major marketing campaign is set to launch in a few weeks designed to entice travelers back to Caribbean beaches following Hurricane Irma.
Hoteliers and specialist tour operators to the region are being asked to come up with special discounts for a period of time to encourage bookings.
They are also being asked to donate a percentage of their sales to the recovery fund to help the islands hit by the hurricane.
Frank Comito, CEO and director general of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, said he hopes the campaign will also help raise awareness of the actual impact of the hurricane.
"We want to make sure people – agents, operators and their customers – fully understand the geography of the region and the facts around what’s been impacted and what hasn’t," he said.
"In fact, 70% of the Caribbean was not severely impacted and is open for business. Of those islands which were directly hit, some are already cleaning up and re-opening."
Comito, who was in London to speak to partners about the recovery efforts, said even the islands not affected by the hurricane were suffering cancelations and a dip in bookings.
"There is a lack of understanding out there and still lots of people who don’t know how expansive the region is," he added.
He advised agents and operators to keep up to date with developments on a special website,, www.caribbeantravelupdate.com set up earlier this month, to clearly show the status of each destination.
The website is being constantly updated as the recovery and rebuilding progresses.
