Isla Mujeres

Hurricane Wilma Hits Cancun

I bet you could have guessed the topic of this newsletter issue.  For 72 hours, Cancun was ripped to shreds by the strongest hurricane ever on record - eclipsing even mighty Hurricane Gilbert in 1988.  Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, and Playa Del Carmen were all caught in the path of Wilma, as she wreaked havoc throughout the region.  In this issue, we'll share some news and updates with you.

The Official Word       For News Stories & Updates, Visit Our Forum

CANCUN, Mexico--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 26, 2005--"Clean up and restoration efforts continue in Cancun today. We are very grateful to the extraordinary collaboration by local authorities and residents who are working tirelessly to get the city up and running, and to the tourists who weathered the storm with us and are still making their way back home. Following are the latest updates:

-- Transportation: Cancun's International Airport, including airline offices, reopened today to the general public; they are currently focusing on outbound flights. Yesterday 34 flights carrying about 7,000 passengers departed Cancun; another 5,000 passengers departed via Merida's International airport. Today, 54 flights departed Cancun carrying an estimated 11,000 passengers.  Mexicana de Aviacion, Magnicharters, USA3000, Champion Air, Aviacsa and Aeromexico initiated flights today in an effort to evacuate between 8,000-10,000 domestic and foreign tourists. Several international airlines and travel agencies are still working on busing tourists from local shelters to Merida where they can take flights back home. The central bus station, ADO, has deployed the firsts buses with tourists and local residents to various cities near Cancun.

-- National and Foreign Comments/Assistance: President Vicente Fox is expected to tour Cancun tomorrow to comment on restoration efforts and next steps. American Consul Lisa Vickers and U.S. Embassy Representative Judith Brian announced that they have initiated a special "task force" hotline number to assist US citizens seeking to leave Cancun: +01 55 50 80 22 00 ext. 0.

-- Restoration: Forty percent of the city's electrical power and water facilities have been restored; special attention has been given to areas near hospitals and medical service facilities. Eight gas stations and four banks have reopened in the downtown area Kukulcan Boulevard, which spans the hotel zone, is 100% clean and accessible

-- Hotels: Hotel cleaning and restoration is underway, including: Royal Solaris, Royal Islander, Imperial Las Perlas, Dos Playas, Clipper Club, Grand Oasis, Omni, Fiesta Americana (F.A.) Condesa, F.A. Coral Beach, among others. Palace Resorts properties in Cancun and the Riviera Maya are set to reopen 2,200 rooms by the December 20. According to a corporate bulletin, the following Marriott properties in Cancun will be closed until December 31, 2005: JW Marriott, Marriott Casa Magna, and the Ritz Carlton. According to a corporate bulletin, reservations for the Presidente InterContinental Cozumel Resort & Spa and the Presidente InterContinental Cancun Resort are suspended until January 31, 2006. The Cancun CVB and the Hotel and Motel Association of Quintana Roo have initiated an informal survey of 93 hotels in the area. So far, they have obtained feedback from 48 of the 93 hotels. Of those who responded, the average response was: Their properties will take about one month to restore. Their properties experienced and average of 30% damage. See our Cancun Hotels Forum for complete coverage of Cancun hotel closures.

Photos and Video

Photos can be seen of Cancun, Playa Del Carmen, Isla Mujeres, and Cozumel in video and HTML format as well as countless up-to-the-minute updates of all kinds in our Cancun Forum.

Tour Updates

Xel-Ha is expected to be up and running by November 5th.  Xcaret will be down probably until the end of the year.  The Tulum, Chichen Itza, and Coba Mayan Ruins are in good shape, and tours should begin running to them very soon.  No other tour updates are available at this time.

What to do Now?

If you're coming to the Mayan Riviera in November, don't worry too much - it's likely you'll be OK, particularly in the Tulum area.  The rest of the area doesn't look good at least until the tail end of November.  President Fox swears the city will be back good as new by Christmas.  Most Playa Del Carmen hotels will re-open by the end of November, while many Cancun hotels are shut down until Christmas - some longer.  If you were going to Isla Mujeres - well, it doesn't look good.  If you decide to skip Cancun this year (hopefully you don't), then consider Puerto Vallarta.  We have a website for Puerto Vallarta Tours that discounts all tours and activities in Puerto Vallarta - we'll be happy to help you out. :-)