Travel Agent - August 27, 2007 - (Page 16) Vital Signs News You Can Use Costa Maya’s Cruise Port Out of Commission Costa Maya, the small touristy region between Cancún and Belize, it appears, did not escape the ire of Hurricane Dean. News has surfaced that Costa Maya’s cruise port was badly damaged by the storm. Cesar Lizarraga, Costa Maya’s director of sales and marketing, says that about 50 percent of the port’s infrastructure, including the cruise ship pier, was impacted. Further, Lizarraga says, early estimates indicate that the port could be out of service for six to eight months, with clean-up costs reaching into the millions. Costa Maya has become one of the most visited ports in the western Caribbean, and a disaster, such as the one encountered by Hurricane Dean, is hard for both Costa Maya and the cruise lines to swallow. Tim Gallagher, vice president of public relations for Carnival Corp., tells Travel Agent the company is still assessing the damage in Costa Maya, but a contingency plan for ships that call at the port is being worked on and will be announced shortly. The good news is that ports along Jamaica’s north coast, as well as Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Calica, all came through Hurricane Dean unscathed. — DE Hurricane/Cruises Continued from page 12 a somewhat pervasive feeling of “out of sight, out of mind” amongst prospective cruisers. “We have not had any negative comments or fearful clients,” says Jeff Gordon, president of The Gordon Group in Davie, FL, who adds that the reverse was true two years ago in the face of Wilma and Katrina. The only peeps Gordon has heard have come from clients wanting occasional news updates. “Nothing has prevented bookings,” he says. “Hopefully we don’t get a big one.” Even then, Gordon doesn’t see a scenario where the cruise lines would lurch. “In my opinion, if for some reason a port city got wiped out, it wouldn’t stop our clients from cruising,” he frankly says. The Economy is the Problem Bottom line: The economy, not fear of storms, is the real obstacle the cruise industry has to contend with. A dismal housing market coupled with volatile stocks has prompted vacationers to roll back spending. “In general, the summer has been slower than usual, but not due to storms,” Gordon says. “Its market is getting creamed, that’s why.” — David Eisen YO U R C L I E N T S C A N SAV E U P TO $ 1, 0 0 0 W I T H O U R SAV I N G S C E R T I F I C AT E S . The best of ever ything just got a little better for your clients. They can save on the 47 miles of beaches, 160 golf courses, dining, shopping, attractions and more that beautiful Palm Beach County has to offer with our Savings Cer tificates*. For more information call 1.800.554.PALM (1.800.554.7256) or go to palmbeachfl.com *Valid through 12/15/07 palmbeachfl.com 16 Interested? Request #004. TravelAgent August 27, 2007 http://palmbeachfl.com http://palmbeachfl.com
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