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Hewanorra International Airport reopens after Hurricane Tomas

Contact: Shannon Lebourne

Wednesday 3 November 2010 –  The Hewanorra International Airport (HIA) has been reopened and is now fully operational in the aftermath of Hurricane Tomas: so says Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Honourable  Allan Chastanet, speaking to the Government Information Service (GIS) crew on the ground in Soufriere.

 He also provided the GIS with an update on the impact of Hurricane Tomas on the tourism sector and the efforts presently being undertaken to restore normalcy to the industry.

“The first thing we had to do unfortunately, was to take hotel guests away from the hotels.  Today we had British Airways and Virgin Atlantic flying out of Hewanorra and West Jet has also come in. We had additional Eagle flights going into San Juan so we probably should have everybody out of the island within the next 48 hours.

“We are hoping to start returning guests probably by Friday and Saturday into the destination. A lot of the hotel plants were not damaged but unfortunately in Soufriere two of the hotels were badly damaged, and we are waiting to hear what they are going to do and how long  it will it take to conduct repairs. The rest of the northern plant is in very good shape.  Right now my efforts are focused on rebuilding Soufriere and making sure that the plan that we have for tourism is well in gear.

The government of Saint Lucia is committed to the practice of responsible tourism
and in that respect wishes to assure visitors and citizens of their safety following the passage of Hurricane Tomas.

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