Hurricane Melissa: Tourism should recover quickly, says a travel consultant

With Hurricane Melissa hitting the Caribbean, many travellers are worried about their planned holidays in Cuba or Jamaica, but everything should be back to normal by then, says a travel advisor, who points out that tourism is an essential source of income there.

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In an interview on LCN on Wednesday, Johanne Germain, travel consultant at Voyage chez Vasco Boucherville, noted that this time of year is rather quiet in terms of travel to the south.

Quebecers are more concerned about their vacations during the holiday season and the impacts of Melissa .

Ms. Germain believes that the tourist destinations affected by the hurricane will quickly do everything possible to revive tourism, which is vital to the local economy: "Every time something like this happens, the tourism offices tell us: 'Tell people to come see us, we need them,' because it's the money brought in by tourism [which is an essential source of income]. [...] It's certain that within four months, it will surely be over. [...] They depend on tourism, so they don't really have a choice but to make sure they can welcome us."

For vacationers who have already booked, it is advisable to check the modification options or protections offered by the companies. Otherwise, the travel advisor recommends waiting one to two weeks before making a final decision.

See the full interview in the video above.