While Cancun Rebuilds, Riviera Maya is open and waiting

Repairs to Cancun are underway and progressing quickly. Electricity, drinking water, drainage and phone service are now completely restored and the city repairs to the hotel zone include replanting gardens, repaving streets, repairing sidewalks and bike paths, replacing trees and installing new lighting and signs. In the meantime, the Riviera Maya, largely unaffected by the recent hurricane, is ready for vacationers.Apple Vacations has resumed daily flights to the area; hotels are 90 percent operational; and stores, restaurants, bars and shops are open and ready for business. Most excursions are open for business, and Playa del Carmen is as vibrant as ever. .Stores and restaurants are open, the beaches are great, the sun is shining, and we want visitors to come and join us for the party, said Gabriela Rodriguez, State Secretary of Tourism of Quintana Roo. Recent visitors to the Riviera Maya are surprised by the rapid completion of cosmetic repairs made to hotels and resorts. I expected to see a lot more damage. I have a lot of groups coming down here in the next few months, and I will be able to go back and tell them there are no problems, said Marva Donovan, owner of Dolphin Travel in Grand Rapids, MI. The Mexico Tourism Board estimates that 12,000 rooms in Cancun and 17,400 in the Riviera Maya will be able to receive visitors by December 15. Source: Apple Vacations, PRNewswire