It Certainly Puts Our Weather Worries Into Perspective!

Next time we moan about the weather here in the UK, we must spare a thought for those caught in extreme conditions such as the inhabitants of the beautiful Caribbean islands devastated by Hurricane Irma. A bit of rain spoiling a planned barbecue, wind blowing your umbrella inside out or bringing a few leaves down onto our lawns is nothing compared to the utter despair that must be felt on having everything you own literally swept away. It is so sad to see the damage that can be done by this sheer force of nature.

So, what happens now? Tourism is a major income to these destinations so not only have they lost homes and schools and hospitals but they have also lost their income. Flights and cruises have been cancelled to many destinations and many more people booked to go to this area of the world in the next few weeks are left wondering what will happen. We have heard many varying opinions from clients recently, generally with much sympathy for the situation. Understandably though, many are very wary about travelling to what is now a disaster zone.

Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line have both sent ships to help deliver aid and evacuate people. Fund-raising is continuing and hopefully lives can be rebuilt. How quickly this can happen is impossible to predict. I travelled to the Maldives shortly after the 2004 Tsunami and whilst buildings had been repaired, trees were uprooted and flood damage was still very evident. Was this what I wanted to see on holiday? It almost felt intrusive being there but without tourism, the rebuilding could not take place.

We are now constantly being asked what are the cruise lines planning and where will they be stopping over the next few months. The answer at the moment is they don’t know. With any major occurrence, the priority is obviously to anyone in affected destinations and then decisions are made in departure date order.

So, if you are due to travel next March to the Caribbean and want to know what is happening to your booking, the truth is we cannot tell you as yet but hopefully, it will carry on as planned.