Cuba Varadero after Hurricane Irma. Tour operators spoke about the state of hotels in Cuba. What is the state of Cuba's tourism infrastructure?

Tour operators are relocating tourists to Varadero from properties damaged by Hurricane Irma to hotels of a similar level. Cancellations in Cuba are still isolated.

IN WHAT STATE IS THE TOURIST INFRASTRUCTURE OF CUBA

Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo suffered the most from Hurricane Irma that passed through Cuba - here, eyewitnesses report, the infrastructure is almost 100% destroyed and there is still not even electricity. Tour operators who put their charters in Cuba ( ANEX Tour, Pegas Tourism) planned to start flight programs on Cayo Coco since October.

The tour operator has not yet changed plans for Cayo Coco and will resolve the issue as the situation normalizes.

The tour operator does not plan to fly to Cayo Coco yet, arguing that a number of the island's hotels cannot be restored at all, and the rest can be restored no earlier than in 1-2 months, the company said. Tourists who have already purchased tours to Cayo Coco from the tour operator are invited to rebook to other destinations, in particular, to the Dominican Republic.

According to the tour operator, Cubans plan to restore hotels on the islands by November.

The situation in Havana and Varadero is much better, according to tour operators, citing their host companies. There are no completely destroyed hotels in the resort of Varadero, some hotels have broken windows, broken verandas, fallen trees, and electricians have suffered. The host companies promise that everything will be fixed within 2 weeks. ANEX Tour reports that 75% of the electricity supply has been restored to Varadero.

The general director of Pegas Touristik, Anna Podgornaya, told Vestnik ATOR that communications are still poor in Cuba, but there are no interruptions in food and drink for tourists.

The beach strip of Varadero suffered very badly: rubble is being cleared and new umbrellas are being installed. The problem with sunbeds and umbrellas will be solved in the next week.

The tourism infrastructure in the regions of Holguin, Baracoa, Camaguey, Trinidad, and Santiago de Cuba is functioning normally, the Cuban Ministry of Tourism told ATOR Vestnik.

WHICH HOTELS IN VARADERO CAN BE FOR SALE AND WHICH ARE NOT

Most tour operators reported forced relocation of tourists from the most damaged hotels to others.

In particular, ANEX Tour tourists (from the last arrival before the hurricane) were relocated from the seriously damaged Playa Caleta, Tortuga and Sun Beach hotels to the Palma Real hotel; from Turquesa and Grand Memories - to the Solyma hotel; from the Paradisus, Melia Antillas and Melia Peninsula hotels - to the Melia Varadero hotel; from the damaged Hotel Patriarca to the Hotel Vista Azul. In the future, this picture will change, as restoration work is underway, damaged hotels will be gradually restored, ANEX Tour reports.

Representatives of the tour operator said that now tourists you can rest b in the following hotels (and travel agents, respectively, sell tours in them):

Melia Varadero

Melia Las Americas

Memories Varadero

Iberostar Bella Vista

Ocean Vista Azul

Barcelo Solymar

Arenas Blancas

Starfish Quatro Palmas

Belive Experience Varadero

Belive Las Morlas

Representatives of ANEX Tour note that the damage in these hotels is non-critical and will be repaired within a few days, the repair does not interfere with the rest of tourists: the pool, beach bars, a la carte restaurants, etc. are being restored somewhere. As repairs are completed in other affected hotels, the list will be updated with new objects, so the tour operator asks travel agents to keep in touch with its representatives for up-to-date information.

In other Varadero hotels from the tour operator's range, which were more severely affected by the hurricane and where repairs are underway, ANEX Tour's host specialists are monitoring the development of restoration work. As data is received from them, the tour operator will inform travel agents about the readiness of the infrastructure of these hotels to receive tourists. ANEX Tour emphasizes that tourists will be accommodated only in hotels where conditions for a comfortable stay are created.

For tourists who have purchased tours to hotels where the repair will not be completed at the time of arrival, the tour operator will offer alternative replacement options if closer to the date of arrival it becomes clear that the repair in these hotels is not completed and living in them will be impossible or uncomfortable. Information will be provided to travel agents.

Pegas Touristik also reports on the facts of the resettlement of tourists from hotels damaged by Irma.

“The check-in of tourists is carried out in coordination with our host company. We do not accommodate tourists in hotels with destroyed infrastructure. To all tourists whose booked hotels suffered from a hurricane, other accommodation facilities of a similar star rating are offered, ”explained Anna Podgornaya.

Similar information is given in ICS Travel Group. “From the hotels, which are now undergoing forced repairs, tourists were settled in other hotels of the corresponding category,” the company told Vestnik ATOR.

According to the Ministry of Tourism of Cuba, in Varadero, all hotels in the Melia chain are open and operate normally, with the exception of the Paradisus Varadero, Melia Peninsula Varadero and Royal Service Paradisus Prinncesa del Mar hotels. Of the most serious damage, damage to the dome of the Meliá Varadero hotel is noted. They promise to fix it within a month.

Hotel holding Iberostar announced that almost all hotels in Varadero and Havana have returned to normal operation. Currently, only Iberostar Alameda and Habana Riviera by Iberostar are closed for emergency repairs.

As the Minister of Tourism of Cuba, Manuel Marrero Cruz, stressed, "there is no disaster in hotels in Cuba." According to him, tour operators of some countries, for example, Canada, from where the most a large number of tourists, launch flight programs to Cuban destinations this Friday.

WHAT WITH FLIGHT PROGRAMS TO CUBA

On this moment Varadero airport, where the flight programs of tour operators are carried out, operates as usual. The flight programs of tour operators are also normalizing. The first export flight of ANEX Tour has already taken place, on the 20th the next flight from Moscow is scheduled.

ANEX Tour clarifies that the next arrival of tourists from Moscow to Varadero is scheduled for September 20. At the same time, those tourists who were supposed to fly from Varadero to Russia on the 23rd will fly home on September 20 - their vacation will be shortened due to the cancellation of the flight. For unused days of hotel stay, tourists will be compensated through their travel agencies. There are few cancellations of already implemented tours to Cuba.

PegasTouristik last flight was completed on September 8, the next - in ten days - will be completed according to plan. Now there are 277 tourists of the tour operator on Varadero. Almost all of them take off on a return flight, new vacationers arrive.

According to Anna Podgornaya, there are practically no requests for cancellations from tourists, just as there are no people who want to cancel tours to Cuba and buy a ticket to another country. “Tourists follow the reports and the weather and decide to fly on vacation,” says Ms. Podgornaya.

ICS Travel Group had 25 tourists in Cuba at the time of the hurricane. On Wednesday, September 13, tourists left the island, whose vacation ended on September 9, 10 and 11. Other clients of the company continue their vacation on Varadero. The company had only 3 cancellations from tourists who were afraid to fly to Cuba. “Life at the resort is gradually recovering, there is no reason to cancel a trip to Cuba. The Cuban side is working very quickly, paying the necessary attention to all tourists,” the company notes.

Regular flights to Havana and Varadero also operate as usual. Aeroflot resumed daily flights in Havana from 12 September.

When will it be possible to send tourists to hotels restored after Hurricane Irma, what about the renovation of hotels in Varadero, and when will Cayo Coco Airport start working? The ATOR Bulletin was looking for answers.

Recognized as the most powerful over the past few decades in the Caribbean, from 8 to 11 September. As a result, the element affected 14 of the 15 provinces of the country, resorts were especially hard hit.in northern Cuba. However, thanks to preventive measures and the well-coordinated work of the Cuban authorities, none of the tourists were injured.

According to Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, the island is already receiving tourists from different countries. According to him, the Cuban government has taken all measures to achieve full. All restoration work is being carried out "in record time", including the acceleration of the island's industry, which fulfills urgent orders for hotels for furniture, engineering and the supply of building materials. According to the Ministry of Tourism of the country, by November 1, all hotels on the island will be ready to receive tourists.

As the minister noted, currently in all resorts of the country tourist sites supplied with water, communication and electricity without any restrictions.

Roads and beaches are being intensively restored, and resort areas are being improved. Thus, the roads to the resorts of Cayo Santa Maria and Cayo Coco have been completely repaired, which also facilitates the process of reconstruction of the hotel stock that has suffered there.

WHEN CAN YOU FLY TO CAYO COCO AND CAYO SANTA MARIA

By November 15 repairs will be completed at the airport of the resort of Cayo Coco - Jardines del Rey: the work here is recognized as the most complex and technologically advanced. Several specialized teams are working on the restoration of the terminal almost around the clock. In October, a small airport will serve tourists in this region Cayo Las Dunas.

Like how Pullman Cayo Coco have already completed the cleaning and sanitization of their premises and outdoor areas. There are objects on the restoration of which more than 100 people are working at the same time.

By mid-November, 14 out of 18 hotels in the Jardines del Rey archipelago (which includes the islands of Cayo Coco, Cayo Santa Maria and Cayo Guillermo) will be fully operational. All of them are expected to start accepting tourists. from the first days of November.

It is reported that the hotels of the Cayo Santa Maria resort will be fully prepared for the meeting of vacationers. by the beginning of November. By mid-October, they will be fully restored here. five hotels with a total fund of 4200 rooms.

To a lesser extent than northern resorts, suffered tourist area most popular Cuban resort - Varadero. Currently there are already 47 out of 52 hotels. No less attention is paid to the issue of restoration of vegetation, green and landscape zones. As Morrero stressed, in general, the hurricane did not damage the beaches, moreover, in some cases, the wind and waves brought more sand to them, which has already been cleaned.

The remaining five hotels: Puntarena, Playa Caleta, Paradisus Varadero, Ocean Patriarca and Meliá Península- will be ready to receive tourists Nov. 1.

ROADS AND MALEKON REPAIR IN HAVANA

The process of restoring Havana is actively underway. With the exception of some hotels, almost all hotels in Havana, located on the coast, have already been renovated. IN 15 out of 18 hotels are already accepting tourists. Tropicoco and Chateau Miramar hotels nearing completion.

In addition, the authorities pay great attention to the reconstruction of Havana's infrastructure. Flooded roads and tunnels have been repaired. The famous Malecon promenade, one of business cards Cuban capital: its individual participants were destroyed by floods. As assured in Cuba, to high season The Malecon will again be accessible to tourists along its entire length.

I propose to continue the topic "Hurricane Irma"

Re:
Well done Iris!
READ - long messages, but very informative! Read the last paragraph. Still thanks to Sandy Beach for sharing!

Interesting information about the state of the hotel - I did an automatic translation of the line provided by Sandy Beach, but I think the key is still very clear (thank you!). Note that some of the information regarding the condition of the roads seems to have already come from the conclusions drawn by the journalist.

HAVANA TIMES - The travel agent has set a comprehensive report today on the status of hotel facilities on the Varadero peninsula. Here we publish our translation of his informal report published in Spanish by Travel Advisor.
Detailed travel agent report on site

Hi all.

I will share information about Cuba:

Here is the status of Varadero's Cuban destination after Hurricane Irma.

Varadero succumbed to Irma in an unimaginable way. The hurricane is not expected to have major impact on this destination, but the devastation of Irma can be compared to the devastation from Hurricane Ike that devastated the Holguin area several years ago.

The Varadero airport roads in the hotel area are almost completely blocked by debris, fallen trees and fallen electricity poles making it a virtually inaccessible area at the moment.

The nearest Ocean Road is also choked with rocks, sand, debris and trees. It's almost impossible to see the road and we estimate that it will take several days of work to remove all debris blocking the road.

Varadero airport is closed. Today we couldn't get to the airport because the road is completely blocked by debris and trees. An inspection visit will be tempted tomorrow to assess the damage, but according to information provided by the authorities, the airport is not supposed to reopen tomorrow.

In the city of Varadero, you can see structural damage in residential areas and shopping malls. First Avenue and other major avenues also had debris, fallen trees, electric poles and fallen wires. Currently, this is not considered a transit safe area.

Havana Airport is closed until further notice. [Later, he revisits Tuesday afternoon]

A summary of the general situation of hotels in the Varadero area after the check is carried out today by our colleagues Destino.

· Access to some hotels is blocked by trees and debris.
· Restoration and cleanup work has begun in hotels, not on roads and resort areas.
· Hotels do not have regular electricity. Most of them run on backup generators.
· Telephone and Internet - the service is not available.
· Cell phones work in some areas, but the signal is not working properly.
Restoration of work has begun, but currently priority authorities is to conduct a comprehensive assessment of damage.
· Most guests in their rooms and all people are asked to stay away from beach areas and areas affected by the hurricane.
· In most hotels, meals are taken from the room. In other hotels, it was possible to open a restaurant where food service is offered.
Summary of inspection visits to hotels in the area

Blau Marina Varadero - The hotel evacuated its guests yesterday morning. The hotel was seriously damaged due to its very open location, as it is at the very end of the peninsula. The main building suffered serious damage (roof, glass doors, etc.). Structural damage could be presented in the building's hall. The beach was undermined by the waves.
Melia Marina Varadero - Some rooms have broken windows and damage to the balconies, but the most damage can be seen in the public areas of the hotel, especially in the lobby. The hotel is located on a hill, so there is minimal wind protection.
Great Memories Varadero - The hotel was damaged due to gusts of wind. The lobby will require restoration work and this is one of the hotels that suffered significant damage to roofing and common areas such as gardens and pools. According to CEO reports, about 40 rooms were damaged and windows were broken. In general, there is no major structural damage and damage is considered moderate. Access to the beach is essentially blocked.
Memories Varadero - The hotel is in generally good condition. Restoration work will be needed in corridors, public areas and in some rooms on upper floors where the roof is leaking can only be restored by replacing the roof in its entirety. The hotel has a lobby bar open with no booze at this time. restoration work is carried out quickly by the hotel staff to restore regular as soon as possible.
Paradisus Varadero - The hotel suffered extensive damage. Ceilings have been destroyed in some structures in the family's concierge area, and will require significant investment to restore. Main building was also destroyed; New restaurant built near the beach collapsed.
Royalton Hicacos - This is another hotel that has suffered extensive damage. The beach area was undermined by the waves. The restaurant on the beach also suffered significant damage. Main area Buffet very exposed, so there was serious damage, especially on the roof. You can see a lot of rubbish in the area. Broke a window in the Caribeño restaurant. The area of the room does not appear to have major damage.
Iberostar Varadero - The hotel was badly damaged. Some of the thatched roof palapas have disappeared. The theater was partially destroyed. The palapa roof was also destroyed in some parts. The Palapas around the pool have been destroyed and there is rubbish in the area.
Be Live Turquesa - The hotel has been evacuated so it is not possible to perform a full check.
Playa de Oro - You can see broken windows in several rooms. The pool was very touched and the lobby also has wonderful damage. The disco area is part of the folded roof. Trees fell in developed areas. Operates a restaurant and provides catering services.
ROC Arenas Doradas - The hotel seemed to be well maintained. Some air conditioners were ripped off the walls, but light damage could be repaired relatively quickly.
Melia Las Antillas - The hotel is generally in good condition and without major damage to its structures.
Blau Varadero - The hotel has a very solid structure, but being big building, it still takes damage when the hurricane hits the area. The lobby was in good condition, but the room on the upper floors could be damaged.
Starfish Varadero - The hotel is generally in good condition. Lobby without significant damage.
Brisas del Carib - The rooms were badly damaged. During the inspection trip, you can see many tourists waiting to change the room due to leaks in the ceilings and broken windows. The lobby was also damaged.
Iberostar Laguna Azul - The hotel is located on a hill, but it has not suffered serious damage due to its open space. It may be noted partial damage on the roof of the restaurant in the beach area, some Palapas were destroyed.
Starfish Cuatro Palmas - the hotel was evacuated. Some structural damage can be observed mainly in the ceilings of some buildings. It was not possible to do the full tour as no staff members were found on the property.

IN in general terms, this is what can be observed in visits today. Tomorrow, inspections will be carried out to assess the extent of the damage. Today the priority was to contact Destino customers and make sure they are safe.

We currently know that flights here have been canceled for the next week, which is considered natural given the extent of the damage in the region.

From what can be seen in inspections today, hotel recovery times are estimated to range from a few weeks to several months for the most affected hotels. The current priority is to restore electricity, water and telecommunications

IN WHAT STATE IS THE TOURIST INFRASTRUCTURE OF CUBA

Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo suffered the most from Hurricane Irma that passed through Cuba - here, eyewitnesses report, the infrastructure is almost 100% destroyed and there is still not even electricity. Tour operators that put their own in Cuba (ANEX Tour, Pegas Touristik) planned to start flight programs in Cayo Coco from October.

Representatives of the tour operator said that now tourists you can rest b in the following hotels (and travel agents, respectively, sell tours in them):

Melia Varadero

Melia Las Americas

Memories Varadero

Iberostar Bella Vista

Ocean Vista Azul

Barcelo Solymar

Arenas Blancas

Starfish Quatro Palmas

Belive Experience Varadero

Belive Las Morlas

Representatives of ANEXTour note that the damage in these hotels is not critical and will be restored within a few days, the repair does not interfere with the rest of tourists: the pool, beach bars, a la carte restaurants, etc. are being restored somewhere.

Pegas Touristik also reports on the facts of the resettlement of tourists from hotels damaged by Irma.

“The check-in of tourists is carried out in coordination with our host company. We do not accommodate tourists in hotels with destroyed infrastructure. All tourists whose booked hotels were affected by the hurricane are offered other accommodation facilities of a similar star rating,” Anna Podgornaya explained.

According to the Ministry of Tourism of Cuba, in Varadero, all hotels in the Melia chain are open and operate normally, with the exception of the Paradisus Varadero, Melia Peninsula Varadero and Royal Service Paradisus Prinncesa del Mar hotels. Among the most serious damages is the damage to the dome of the Meli Hotel? Varadero. They promise to fix it within a month.

As the Minister of Tourism of Cuba, Manuel Marrero Cruz, stressed, "there is no disaster in hotels in Cuba." According to him, tour operators of some countries, for example, Canada, from where the largest number of tourists come to the island, are launching flight programs to Cuban destinations this Friday.

WHAT WITH FLIGHT PROGRAMS ON

The devastating hurricane Irma, which has already devastated the territory of several countries Caribbean hit Cuba on Saturday.

TV channels show how multi-meter waves flood the legendary Malecon of Havana, a favorite place for walking residents of the capital and foreign tourists eight kilometers long. Electricity was cut off in some parts of Havana and drinking water, there were interruptions in communication. Closed until Sunday noon local time (17:00 Moscow time) international Airport named after Jose Marti, through which most foreign tourists arrive in Cuba.

However, experts say, the "eye" of "Irma" did not reach the capital itself, inflicting the main blow 200 kilometers from it. Wind gusts in Camagüey province reached 260 km/h.

As noted by AFP, Irma is the first hurricane of this magnitude since 1932, which directly affected the territory of Cuba. Seven-meter waves were recorded on the northern coast of Cuba by the local meteorological service, and residents of Havana received an "alert" about the danger of flooding.

In total, about two million people in Cuba were forced to leave their homes. "Given the inevitability of Irma, every minute was precious," the main newspaper of Cuba, Granma, wrote in its editorial. The hurricane caused the most severe damage in Saint Lucia in the province of Camaguey. Waves several meters high caused significant damage to houses and tourist sites, notes cadenagramonte.cu.

There was no information about possible casualties and damage from Cuba.

Cuba, since the days of Fidel Castro, has one of the best warning and evacuation systems in the world in the event of natural disasters and is well prepared for natural disasters. At the same time, each new hurricane is a painful blow to the Cuban economy, which is living under the conditions of an unprecedented blockade by the United States, which, by the way, was extended by President Trump on Friday for another year.

Meanwhile, the US Hurricane Center (NCA), in a bulletin released Saturday night, noted that "Irma's eye is beginning to slowly move off the coast of Cuba, resulting in a sharp deterioration in the weather in South Florida." In the southeastern United States, "several hundred kilometers of coastline are expected to be flooded due to the action of a potentially deadly storm," the US National Weather Service (NWS) warned in turn.

The inhabitants of this "sunny" american state, where about 20 million people live, fled their homes in panic. As AFP notes with reference to meteorologists, Irma will reach southeast coast USA already on Sunday with wind gusts of 240 kilometers per hour and could cause massive flooding.

Local authorities warn that "there is no longer a place where people can be safe" in the Florida Keys, a popular tourist destination in south Florida. Here from coastal zone According to official estimates, about a million people have already been evacuated, but the number of people who hastily left their homes could be much higher. In total, about 6.3 million people were evacuated from their homes in the state as of Saturday evening - that is, one in three residents of Florida.

Home to a sizable Cuban expat community - more than a million people who fled Liberty Island - Miami is mostly low-income people, observers estimate. Those who have not yet been evacuated are either looking for places in shelters, or trying to somehow protect their miserable homes with boards. "The roofs from the houses will fly in any case, these houses are rotten through and through," Pedro Marti, a refugee from Cuba, admitted. In an interview, he called the defense of his plywood plank home "ridiculous."

Meanwhile, the streets of Miami, this "lazy and idle" city, have become unusually deserted. Beaches without vacationers, deserted streets and empty skyscrapers - Miami Beach overnight became a "ghost town". Mayor of this famous resort town Phil Levine called Irma "a nuclear hurricane...so powerful and so vast."

The US authorities, which earlier declared a state of emergency in the states of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, decided to introduce it also in Virginia, believing that Irma could reach northeast coast countries. "This is a storm of immense destructive power, and I ask all those in the path of the storm to follow all instructions from government officials," Donald Trump tweeted. He spent the weekend at presidential residence at Camp David, where two weeks ago I was monitoring the effects of Hurricane Harvey.

Please note that in order to help local authorities authorities, the US Navy announced the dispatch from the port of Norfolk, Virginia, the aircraft carrier "Abraham Lincoln", two landing Vehicle and another ship. These four ships, carrying 300 people and 27 helicopters, should provide assistance if necessary. medical care, logistical assistance and safety for people affected by Hurricane Irma, the US Navy said in a statement.

Recall that "Irma" has become one of the most destructive hurricanes in the world for at least the last decade. Its deadly effect has been going on for almost five days. At the same time, the hurricane hit the inhabitants of the poor countries of the Caribbean, who already live in extremely difficult conditions.

In total, according to official estimates, Hurricane Irma claimed the lives of 25 people (10 in the French part and two in the Dutch part of St. Maarten, four in the US Virgin Islands, six in the British part Virgin Islands and the Anguilla archipelago, two in Puerto Rico, one in Barbuda). The number of casualties could increase significantly as the rubble is cleared. It is known that, for example, on the island of Barbuda, at least 80 percent of the buildings were destroyed.

Confusion, confusion and tension reign, according to observers, among the inhabitants of the island of St. Maarten five days after the passage of the Irma. In the city of Mary, the capital of the French part of Saint-Martin, fragments of torn roofs, numerous garbage, and various household waste are lying on the streets. Many surviving houses, including cottage buildings where tourists live, were flooded. The chaos is being exploited by looters who have rushed into stores to steal refrigerators and televisions.

The situation is aggravated by the fact that Hurricane Jose is moving to replace the destructive Irma in this part of the Caribbean, which has intensified to the fourth category, with wind gusts up to 240 kilometers per hour. And its main blow will fall on the islands of St. Maarten and St. Barthelemy, whose inhabitants have not yet recovered from the shock.