Almost eight months after Hurricane Ivan devastated the fast-growing tourist destination of the Cayman Islands, almost two-thirds of the available rooms are still out of service.
But clean-up and repair work is moving quickly ahead and most of the island’s hotel inventory should be up and running by the first of next year, according to W. McKeeva Bush, the Islands’ minister of Tourism, Environment, Development and Commerce.
One reason it has taken longer is that government officials have made it a policy to examine and certify each individual room.
Cayman tourist officials often make the point that the hurricane was partly a positive development because many hotels and resorts were upgraded and refurbished as a result of the destruction.
“Many of our properties have taken this opportunity not just to rebuild what was there, but to improve the properties — not only the public areas, but also guest rooms, flooring and window treatment, among other elements,” said Pilar Bush, minister of tourism.
Report by David Wilkening
