Jamaica`s recovery from Hurricane Gilbert in September is moving along nicely, according to Marco Brown, the island`s minister of state for tourism. ”It`s quite remarkable that we are going as fast as we are,” Brown said during a visit to Chicago recently. ”Out of the island`s 14,000 hotel rooms, 13,000 are back in operation. The hurricane also left most resorts with more beach than they had before the storm.”
Brown said only the Holiday Inn at Montego Bay, with 550 rooms, won`t be in full service before the winter tourist season opens Dec. 15. Other hotels working to meet the deadline are Sandals Royal Caribbean (180 rooms) at Montego Bay, T-Water Beach (60 rooms) at Negril, Tryall (40 rooms) near Montego Bay, Ambiance Jamaica (60 rooms) at Runaway Bay, Trident (30 rooms) at Port Antonio and Half Moon near Montego Bay, which is open with 80 of its 200 rooms.
He said power has been restored to all tourist areas and by the end of this month the power supply will be 100 percent restored on the island.
All the water supplies are back to normal and cruise ships calling at Montego Bay and Ocho Rios are taking on their water at those ports.
Despite major agricultural losses, he said, there are no shortages of anything for visitors. Brown also said that 200,000 Jamaicans are receiving government food stamps for three months until their staple cash crops come back.
Food costs will also remain the same as they were before the storm, which devastated much of Jamaica`s agriculture. Brown said the coffee industry was 30 percent damaged, bananas were totally destroyed except for smaller trees and most of the coconut palms were damaged. Extensive replanting is going on. The chicken industry was completely destroyed, but should be back in full production by January. In the meantime, the government has authorized the import of as much chicken and eggs as needed.
Brown also said the government was providing $67.2 million housing repair subsidies and also was putting up prefabricated housing in areas totally wiped out. In all, 300,000 homes were badly damaged or destroyed by the hurricane.
To induce Chicago area tourists back to Jamaica, Thomson Vacations, based in suburban Elk Grove Village, in association with its parent company, Philadelphia-based Apple Vacations, is offering savings of up to $359 a couple on trips to the island through Dec. 11. Packages are available through travel agents. Special Thomson air fares to Jamaica for 4, 7 or 11 nights starting at $259 a person also are available. Thomson said it also extended an early booking bonus for January departures to Jamaica and Cancun, offering $50 a person off brochure prices for anyone buying a package by Dec. 15.
Cancun also is hustling to be fully operational by Dec. 15. A Mexicana Airlines official who returned from Cancun several days ago estimated that 50 percent of the resort`s 7,500 rooms were available. Katherine Lorenzi, Chicago regional sales manager for Mexicana, said from the efforts being made and the speed at which crews were working, the resort would be close to 100 percent ready by Dec. 15.
”Cancun is looking pretty good,” she said. ”Crews are working 18 hours a day, seven days a week. Most of the hotels are in good order. The major problem is the lack of beach in some areas. There`s a lot of construction work along the beaches.”
Lorenzi said sand was being bulldozed to extend the beaches, and beach walls are being reinforced.
She also reported that shops, restaurants and Cancun`s only golf course were open. Some hotels, such as the Hyatts, have elected to remain closed to do a full remodeling job, she said.
Thomson reported that 37 percent of the hotels it uses were open as of Nov. 8. In its hotel status report, all but the Castel Solymar and Hyatt Cancun Caribe were projected to open by Dec. 16. Openings of 10 other hotels were pushed back from October and November openings to mid-December, said Joannie Lincoln, Thomson spokeswoman.
Mexicana, which is flying between Chicago and Cancun on Saturdays and Sundays, will resume its daily service Nov. 19, Lorenzi said. The carrier will offer a special midweek roundtrip of $265, and a Saturday and Sunday fare of $295, through Dec. 14. Mexicana also is offering special packages in conjunction with Mexico Travel Advisors and Thomson Vacations. For example, a seven-night package at the Sheraton or Casa Maya costs $479 a person, double, including air fare.
United Airlines resumed Chicago-Cancun on Nov. 3 with flights on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays and will resume daily service on Dec. 17.
![Residents and taxpayers of Barrington School District 220 rated safety and security, and a new auditorium at Barrington High School, as priorities for the school district, officials learned as community input was collected in preparation for a potential multi-million-dollar referendum that would be placed on the ballot in the November election. The data was shared with school board members April 2 by EO Sullivan Consulting, which was hired by the district to collect community feedback through phone and online surveys, four public engagement sessions and referendum advisory committee meetings. Information had been collected in three phases and began earlier this […]](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PPN-L-bcr-district-220-feferend-002.jpg?w=390 "Residents and taxpayers of Barrington School District 220 rated safety and security, and a new auditorium at Barrington High School, as priorities for the school district, officials learned as community input was collected in preparation for a potential multi-million-dollar referendum that would be placed on the ballot in the November election. The data was shared with school board members April 2 by EO Sullivan Consulting, which was hired by the district to collect community feedback through phone and online surveys, four public engagement sessions and referendum advisory committee meetings. Information had been collected in three phases and began earlier this […]")