ANTIGUA & BARBUDA HOTELS & TOURISM ASSOCIATION

The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) polled its membership and received responses from 11 national hotel associations. From the survey it was found that the reported impact has been minimal.   
 
Anguilla reported that four beaches were impacted, while Antigua & Barbuda said some beaches mainly beaches on the east coast were affected. However, those in the tourist have remained pretty much untouched. Neither of the two countries has had reports of cancellations due to Sargassum. Aruba has not been affected at all.
 
In the Bahamas, the hotels on the south and south east coasts have had a few  cancellations and have been transporting their guest to the west coast where the beaches have not been impacted. The hotels have also reported spending large sums of money employing additional staff to clear the beaches and/or hire mechanical equipment.
 
Barbados has reported that some beaches have been affected with very few cancellations, while Bermuda said there has been minimal impact and that beaches are raked daily. There have been no cancellations.
 
The BVI reported some beaches impacted but are cleared daily, while Puerto Rico reported some impact, with no cancellations. Curacao has not been impacted at all.
 
In our last update we shared a release from French St. Martin, which has reported that some beaches have been impacted and very few cancellations.
 
Tobago’s hotel association confirmed that the beaches affected are primarily on the Atlantic side of the island, with the Caribbean side unaffected. There have been a few cancellations, and guests are being transported to the Caribbean side to enjoy the beaches.
 
In the USVI, there has been some impact - South shore and East end of St. Thomas and St. Johns and Northside of St. Croix. Only two or three reservations have been cancelled but some guests some guests check out upon arrival and move to unaffected areas.
 
The resource guide  produced for hotels by the CHTA (and shared in a previous update) contains a monitoring satellite link which is able to track large patches.  Here’s the link as identified in the Guide’s addendum: http://seas-forecast.com/index.php
 
The Resource Guide, which is also a good document for tour operators, can be found at: http://www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com/CAST.php
 
Please see the list of what to say and what not to say.