RICHMOND, Va. -- Although more than half a million people in
Maryland and Virginia still had no power eight days after Hurricane
Isabel slammed through the mid-Atlantic region, the tourism end of
things brightened considerably sooner.
Virginia's damage "was downed trees -- hundreds of them -- some
flooding, beach erosion and power outages," said Diane Bechamps,
vice president of marketing for Virginia Tourism Corp., based
here.
The state's major attractions, theme parks, battlegrounds,
national parks and hotels are open for business, Bechamps said.
Colonial Williamsburg's historic 18th century buildings had
little damage; kerosene lanterns and oil lamps provided "very
authentic lighting for the first few days," a spokesman said.
Conferences and motorcoach groups, which canceled or postponed
visits to Williamsburg, are expected to rebook.
In Maryland, storm waters in Annapolis, Baltimore and Havre de
Grace receded and most businesses have reopened.
Updates are posted at www.mdisfun.org.
Recovery and cleanup continues in North Carolina's eastern
coastal region, and visitors have access to most areas of the Outer
Banks except for parts of Hatteras Island.
Travel advisories and updates are posted at www.visitnc.com.
To contact reporter Gay Nagle Myers, send e-mail to [email protected].