Vacation planners who planned their 2020 summer vacation to sunny beach destinations like the Mediterranean and the Greek Isles months in advance can now start enjoying a partial summer vacation in some Caribbean Islands location. The optimism comes amid the coronavirus pandemic and some regions are still locked down especially to foreign travel.

The Caribbean Islands is known for its uninterrupted sandy beaches and crystal-clear blue waters, and is therefore, a great holiday destination. The location is a great relief from the cooped-up coronavirus stay home advisory and is a reward for abiding by the social distancing rule. As the island is easing travel restriction to various destinations, what are experts in the region saying?

Candid Assertion from Experts

Frank Comito, the director-general and chief executive officer of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association says that the region’s experience from the Zika virus, devastating storms and other calamities have instilled a culture of quick recovery in them. It is no different for them with the coronavirus. He adds that 69% of the 2,000 hotels in the region are to fully open by the end of July.

The Caribbean’s familiarity with relief efforts from various disasters has resulted in fluency in the language of recovery which has resulted in their opening of borders quite sooner than expected. The islands have also witnessed a low second wave of coronavirus cases implicating that the pandemic is receding in the 33 islands of the region.

Flight Situation to the Caribbean

American Airlines began resuming flights early June to holiday destinations like Miami. On June 15, it resumed operations to Jamaica from Miami. The Airlines spokesperson Laura Masvidal intimated that the airline would resume flights to the Caribbean when more destinations open.

Since prospects for travel and bikepacking holiday trends are looking up and destinations are opening their establishments for guests, what locations can a vacationer consider to spend the last half of their vacation days?

The Virgin Islands

The Virgin Islands are among the first set of islands in the Caribbean. It was opened to leisure travelers as early as June 1. The reopening is phased with hotels, villas, and Airbnb rentals allowing overnight stay while diners operate at 50% capacity. All beaches are open but with social distancing still in effect.

Teresa Targa, a co-owner of Condado Travel, a San Juan Puerto Rico travel advisory firm, says that they began receiving calls from US clients asking for information on home and villa rentals in the Virgin Islands.

Puerto Rico

Since travelers who wouldn’t consider the Caribbean as a summer off-season destination are now looking to the islands, Puerto Rico has also become an ideal destination. However, the destination is not open to leisure until July 15. Restaurants are operating at 50% capacity as well as most hotels.

Subsequently, the region has been recovering from Hurricane Maria and several earthquakes, travelers can feel upbeat about helping Puerto Rico’s economy recover. Link up with your travel agency and book a Caribbean summer vacation before it is too late.

Written by World Footprints contributor Victor Kanake. Source: CNN

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