Outlook for Cancun tourism: up and up.
After racking up a record year in 2004, being socked by Hurricane Wilma in October 2005 and having many resorts out of commission in 2006, the No. 1 Caribbean destination for Americans is reporting hotel occupancy approaching that of pre-Wilma days.
There are also record airport arrivals in Cancun.
The requirement that Americans arriving by air need passports, new this year, hasn’t put a big chill on tourism, says USA Today.
The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) reports that about 869,000 Americans registered at Cancun’s renovated hotels from January through June, up 37% from the same period in 2006, when many lodgings were out of service.
The Cancun Convention & Visitors Bureau says hotel occupancy is averaging 80%.
The CTO says Cancun recorded the biggest increase in US visitors of all Caribbean destinations.
Cancun “is building more upscale properties and is changing its image” as a spring-break party spot, said Caribbean specialist Margie Hand of All Seasons Travel/American Express in Montgomery, Ala. Fewer hotels now accept groups of young people, she said.
Report by David Wilkening
