Two hurricanes in two weeks have caused a huge damage to
many countries in the Caribbean with more than 20 bodies and millions without
power and many homes destroyed. Not only that but the storms also destroyed through
the tourism industry such as hotels, shops, taxis, and restaurants. In
addition, cruise ports and airports are also closed. Many countries income comes
from tourist and many workers could be impacted from this, “Without a steady influx of cash from tourists,
businesses suffer, employers cut back and residents lose jobs; workers on
especially hurricane-stricken islands could move elsewhere for opportunity, denting
the local economy further”. Many tourist are also encouraged to postpone trips
to the islands until everything gets back to normal.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/23/us/tourism-hurricane-economy-caribbean-islands.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fus
This is a very interesting and relevant topic. Some small islands most likely cannot afford to rebuild damaged areas. Especially if there major source of overall income is based on tourists. Now that homes and hotels are damaged tourists will be looking for different places to travel to. And without the overall influx of cash, the islands will struggle to move forward from here.
ReplyDeleteThe stalemate of not being able to host tourists for the sake of essential rebuilding and relying on tourist income to function is indeed very interesting (albeit very sad). Do we know how the Caribbean intends to proceed with the rebuilding process despite the lack of necessary influx of funds and capital?
ReplyDeleteThis is quite an unfortunate event. Many of the residents working in these islands will not be able to sustain themselves without tourists visiting. Many jobs will be cut, and businesses are likely to go down. It will take a while for the Carribean islands to rebuild to what it was before Hurricane Maria hit.
ReplyDeleteI believe the recent storms have had a large effect on the tourism industry, and unfortunately in this case many of these small islands rely on the tourism industry. These storms could bring everlasting effects to the tourism industry due to the perception and fear tourists could have of traveling to these countries.
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