COZUMEL, MEXICO CONTINUES

HURRICANE EMILY RECOVERY ASSESSMENT

July 26, 2005 (5:00 p.m.) - Tourism officials on the island of Cozumel continue to assess the effects of Hurricane Emily.

According to Raul Marrufo, director of the Cozumel Tourism Promotion Board, only parts of the southern area of the island experienced notable damage from the storm, while the majority of the island remains in very good condition.

“After further assessment, some hotels and park facilities have closed as a temporary precaution, although electricity has been fully restored to 100 percent of the island,” Marrufo said. “Shops and restaurants are open, golfers are back on the course and visitors have returned to the beaches to enjoy their vacations.”

Transportation:

• Airlines are operating as regularly scheduled.
• Ferry service to Playa Del Carmen is operating as regularly scheduled. There was no damage to the Downtown Pier.
• All main roads have been cleared of debris, however, the main road past the Iberostar Hotel on the southern end of the island is closed as a safety precaution until further assessments are complete.
• The Punta Langosta Pier in downtown Cozumel suffered no damage.
• The Puerta Maya Pier, located south of downtown, experienced minor damage to the palapas covering the pier entrance, however all retail shops and restaurants are open and doing business as usual.

Hotels and Resorts:

• Visitors should obtain the most up-to-date information by calling their hotel or visiting hotel Web sites.
• Four hotels are currently closed because they cannot provide the level of service their guests deserve and expect. Those properties include:

1. Occidental Grand - Currently scheduled to reopen July 30th after completing minor repairs.

2. Occidental Allegro - Expected to reopen November 1st after completing more substantial repairs.

3. Iberostar (southernmost hotel on island) - Suffered severe damage and is currently scheduled to reopen November 1

4. Reef Club Cozumel - Suffered damage to palapas and is expected to reopen August 19.

Cruise Ships and Golf Course

§ Cruise ships returned to the island two days after the storm.

§ Cruise lines have returned to their regular schedules and are operating at full capacity.

§ The Cozumel Country Club suffered no damage and is operating as usual.

Downtown Business District:

• The downtown area suffered no storm damage.
• The wall along the Malecon (Cozumel´s main boulevard downtown) suffered no damage.
• All shops and restaurants are operating as usual.

East Side Bars and Restaurants:

• Mescalitos sustained minor damages and should reopen shortly.
• Coconuts was completely destroyed and will likely be rebuilt.

Beaches and Reefs:

• West side beaches are open and in good condition and vacationers are back on the beach and enjoying the ocean.
• Most beaches were not affected in terms of shoreline. In fact, some have more sand and have actually widened (mainly in Punta Sur).
• Some areas of the east side beaches are temporarily closed.
• Reefs around the island are in good shape and look as pristine as ever. The storm has “cleansed” the reefs of algae in some areas.
• Divers resumed activity immediately following the storm. Numerous snorkeling and dive boats are on the water and operating as usual.
• Most beach clubs are open, although some have sustained palapa damage.

Parks and Museums:

• There was no damage to The Museum of the Island of Cozumel.

§ San Gervasio Archeological Site

• Electricity was restored and the park reopened on July 22.
• At least 90 percent of the ruins are accessible.
• Some paths are obstructed but should be 100 percent accessible by July 27.
• One ruin had part of the ceiling collapse, which will be restored by the archeological foundation.
• Punta Sur Ecological Park
• The park is closed and expected to reopen for visitors in October 2005.
• The Lighthouse and Navigational Museum survived the storm.
• The lagoon area and beaches in Punta Sur are well preserved and in good shape.
• Chankanaab National Park
• The park is closed for minor clean-up and will reopen for visitors on July 27.
• More than 160 individuals are working to restore the park.
• Some paths were damaged in the Botanical Gardens and the main palapa at the entrance to the park was damaged.
• The Dolphin Discovery remains open to accommodate guests with existing reservations.
• The lagoon, beach and reefs at Chankanaab are all in good condition.