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 Travel & Outdoors | February 2006 
Cancun on Slow Comeback Trail
 Bill O'Brien - Record-Eagle
| | A pipe is seen draining sand to recover the beaches devastated by Hurricane Wilma in the city of Cancun, Mexico. The government has initiated reconstruction of beaches destroyed by Hurricane Wilma. (AP Photo/Israel Leal) |
Scores of travelers come to Betsy Williams for advice on where to go for spring break - and this year for tips on where not to go.
Williams got a first-hand look last month at the damage left behind in Mexico's popular Cancun area by Hurricane Wilma in October. She advises travelers to make sure of the condition of their destinations before leaving the chill of northern Michigan.
"The one thing that really struck me in Cancun was how every place was affected differently," said Williams, executive vice president and general manager of the Passageways Travel office in Traverse City.
Williams was among a team of Passageways staff from Michigan that visited almost 30 properties in Cancun's popular resort district. They met with resort managers to check out reconstruction work and beach conditions so they could relay first-hand information to clients planning their spring break get-aways.
They found the properties in various states of repair, many with rooms and amenities like swimming pools still closed. Some beaches were also damaged, she said.
"You really need to know the property where you're at and know what's going on around it," Williams said.
Local travel agents say Cancun is a popular with northern Michigan as a destination for spring break, which will take place this year for most area families during the last week in March.
"Cancun was hit the hardest - it's still in pretty bad shape," said Steve Kan, owner of Andrew Kan Travel Service Inc. in Traverse City.
Travel agents are routing tourists to other sites in Mexico, including the Mayan Riviera area on the Atlantic Ocean. Although it's only about 30 to 40 minutes south of Cancun, it suffered much less hurricane damage and for the most part will be fully operational by spring break.
"We're telling our people that the Mayan Riviera is fine," Kan said, adding that Puerto Vallarta on Mexico's Pacific coast is also drawing more interest this year.
Williams said the available number of hotel rooms in the Cancun area is down by more than 10,000, which is keeping demand high for those areas. Many bars and restaurants are still closed and the area's golf courses also suffered extensive damage.
Both agents said the hurricane damage isn't hurting spring break activity, which is steady with previous years. Williams said ocean cruises have seen more interest this year as travelers have looked for alternatives to Cancun, and other Caribbean spots will also draw more visitors. |
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