ATM Honors Rebound of Cancun’s Travel Industry
Arabian Travel Market 2007 announced that the Mexican resort of Cancun had been honored with the New Frontiers Award 2007. The award was presented during the annual ATM exhibitors’ party at the Grand Hyatt Dubai for Cancun’s remarkable recovery and positive contribution to tourism development in the face of the overwhelming devastation caused by Hurricane Wilma.
Besides a commemorative crystal trophy, Cancun also received a truly innovative reward of $10,000 worth of complimentary exhibition space at Arabian Travel Market 2008.
Cancun was chosen by a panel of judges consisting of regional and international industry professionals. Originally, ten destinations were chosen, such as Sham El Sheikh in Egypt, Mozambique and Northern Ireland, who had all made tremendous strides after suffering from either manmade or natural disasters. However, only three destinations were shortlisted, Cancun, Lebanon and Vietnam.
Ultimately, Cancun was selected after taking into consideration a number of decisive factors such as, their utilization of aid packages, support from local and national government, tangible efforts of recovery and the sheer determination of the human spirit.
In October 2005, category 4 Wilma slammed into Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula at over 150 mph and lasted for more than 60 hours. When it had passed, an 8-mile stretch of Cancun’s beach was almost washed away. Insured damage alone was close to $8 billion and the hurricane is said to have cost Cancun and the local tourism industry over $15 million daily.
The beaches were stripped of their silver sand during the storm and the Mexican government paid US$ 24 million to dredge offshore sand and pump it back to resorts. Cancun now boasts beaches better than they have been at any time in the last 15 years.
In less than a year, out of a total of 27,500 rooms, over 24,500 were fully restored. This prompted the United Nations World Tourism Organization to declare Cancun a model to emulate in the aftermath of future disasters.
