Hurricane Ivan is history. Grenada is
rebuilding and moving forward, according to Brenda Hood, Grenadas
minister of tourism.
In the four months
since Ivan devastated Grenada, including 90% of the homes and 70%
of the hotel inventory of 2,000 rooms, the island reopened most of
its major attractions, welcomed back cruise ships on Oct. 7, opened
its new mega-cruise facility Dec. 12 and is well on its way to its
five-year master plan of recovery and rebuilding, she
said.
Speaking at CHA
Marketplace, the Caribbean Hotel Associations annual confab, Hood
said that close to 1,000 hotel rooms [50% of inventory] are open
for visitors, electricity is close to 100% back up island wide,
more than 300,000 cruise visitors are projected to call in 2005 [a
12% increase over the first nine months of 2004] and stayover
visitors will fill rooms as more come on line.
However, Hood did say
that stayover visitors will probably decline this year, because our
inventory will not be up to 100% capacity until after the end of
the year. She forecast a decrease in stayover visitors of 4.5% this
year.
Adolf Fratton, general
manager at LaSource, which has been closed since Ivan hit except to
relief workers, said that major reconstruction would start at the
end of this month.
We will reopen on Dec.
2 as a brand new property with 12 more rooms, a new beach bar, all
redone guest units and hospitality suites, a rejuvenated spa and a
fully-trained staff and culinary crew, he said.
Grenada was
represented at Marketplace, held in Montego Bay,
Jamaica, Jan. 9 to 11, by 11 hotels.
To contact
reporter Gay Nagle Myers, send e-mail to [email protected].