BERMUDA TOURISM UP AND RUNNING AFTER HURRICANE IGOR
Hotels Report Minimal Damage, Airport to Re-open
NEW YORK, September 20, 2010 – Bermuda’s tourism industry is not skipping a beat as it cleans up in the wake of Hurricane Igor, the category 1 hurricane that passed over the island Sunday.
Hurricane Igor brought heavy rain and high winds, however, the overall damage to the island’s tourism product is considered to be minimal. The vast majority of hotels and resorts were reporting the impact limited mostly to landscaping, which is already in the process of being cleaned.
The L.F. Wade International Airport, which was closed on Sunday for precautionary reasons, will re-open for business at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, September 21. Visitors are encouraged to contact their travel agents or airlines directly for flight information to the island.
According to Bermuda’s Director of Tourism William “Billy” Griffith, the destination will be ready, willing and able to accommodate arriving visitors.
“We have come through Hurricane Igor remarkably and it will soon be business as usual here in Bermuda,” said Griffith. “In addition to welcoming our loyal guests, we’re looking forward to executing our upcoming calendar of events for the coming weeks, including the Bermuda Music Festival and PGA Grand Slam of Golf.”
The Bermuda Music Festival, featuring artists such as Ziggy Marley, Toni Braxton, Angie Stone and Estelle will take place at the Fairmont Southampton resort from September 30 – October 2. The PGA Grand Slam of Golf will take place at Port Royal Golf Club from October 18 – 20.
Griffith also praised Bermuda’s tourism partners on island for accommodating guests so well during the storm.
“We’ve received such positive feedback on how our hoteliers managed the guest experience during the hurricane and I’d like to extend my thanks and praise both to our hotel partners and to those guests on island during the storm for being so resilient,” said Griffith.
Bermuda, just under two hours from East Coast gateway cities, stretches for 21 miles along turquoise waters and is surrounded by a 200-square-mile coral reef plateau. Bermuda’s accommodations range from luxury resorts to intimate guest cottages and family-run inns, all incorporating the sophistication and hospitality unique to the Bermuda experience. The island includes more than 150 restaurants to fit any traveler’s budget, from simple and inexpensive to elegant and special dining. Bermuda’s diverse activities offer an array of vacation options all year round, including more wreck dives than anywhere else in the world, championship golf, horseback riding, world-renowned deep sea fishing and smooth pink beaches to rest on by day’s end.
