This Time, It’s Not Us

The natural disasters that pummeled prime vacation getaways this fall have halted or slowed tourism in many regions that rely on seasonal visitors for their livelihood. A look at several recent disasters’ impacts on tourism:

Florida

* The disaster: Hurricane Opal wreaks havoc on the Panhandle the first week of October.

* Total estimated damage: $2 billion in four states

* Estimated income from tourism: The storm demolishes an area that provides 17% of the $32 billion that tourism brings to the state each year.

* Impact on key attractions: Although Opal slams into the Panhandle after its prime tourist season--March through September--it forces the cancellation of several lucrative events.

The Caribbean

* The disasters: Within 10 days of each other in early October, Hurricane Luis and Hurricane Marilyn blast the Caribbean with winds up to 146 m.p.h.

* Total estimated damage: Damage is in the hundreds of millions of dollars on each of the hardest-hit islands, including St. Martin, Antigua, Barbuda, St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. John and Anguilla.

* Estimated income from tourism: $11.7 billion in 1994.

* Impact on key attractions: The Caribbean’s busiest cruise ship port at Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas is demolished. The cruising industry at Charlotte Amalie brought in $881.3 million in 1994.

North Carolina and Virginia

* The disaster: Hurricane Felix closes popular resorts at Virginia Beach and the Outer Banks, forcing thousands to flee inland.

* Total estimated damage: The storm merely grazes the coastline, causing only about $93,000 in damages.

* Estimated income from tourism: Officials estimate that Carteret County, N.C., which includes a portion of the Outer Banks, brings in more than $210 million a year from tourism. Virginia Beach, Va., logged $500 million in total spending by 2 million visitors last year.

* Impact on key attractions: The perception among tourists that the storm demolished coastal resorts cost millions in tourism revenues.

Mexico

* The disasters: Hurricane Roxanne slams into the Yucatan Peninsula in October, followed by a devastating 7.6-magnitude earthquake in Manzanillo.

* Estimated income from tourism: Quintana Roo, home to Cancun and Cozumel, leads Mexico’s tourism industry, logging 3 million tourists in 1994 who spent about $1.5 billion.

* Impact on key attractions: Tourism officials say 90% of those who had vacation plans for November or December retain their reservations.

Sources: Virginia Beach Department of Convention and Visitor Development; Commerce Department, Travel and Tourism Administration; Florida Division of Tourism; Mexican Government Tourism Office, Times and wire reports