LUXURY ISLAND RESORTS HIT HARD BY CYCLONE YASI
Luxury island resorts hit hard by Cyclone Yasi - Luxury Travel Magazine
Luxury island resorts hit hard by Cyclone Yasi |
| Date: February 4, 2011 |
| Katia Iervasi |
| Category five Tropical Cyclone Yasi crossed to land at Mission Beach, QLD at midnight on Wednesday February 2. With winds of up to 290 km/hr, Yasi was felt from Cairns to Townsville. Mission Beach, Tully and Innisfail were the worst hit communities in the aftermath of Yasi, and luxury resorts in and around the cyclone’s path were also affected. With some warning, island resorts off the coast of northern Queensland took precautionary measures to ensure the safety of guests and staff. In most cases, guests and staff were advised to evacuate, but some resorts kept a skeleton staff. Dunk Island Resort, run by Hideaway Resorts and off Mission Beach, was heavily impacted by the cyclone. The island’s villas had been evacuated on Tuesday, and a 110-strong staff stayed on to ride out the cyclone. Today the Brisbane Courier Mail reported that the resort was “smashed beyond recognition.” The report said that the function hall was gutted, the health centre unroofed, and almost all beachfront apartments are now empty shells. At the smaller neighbouring island of Bedarra, also run by Hideaway Resorts, all guests were evacuated while 20 staff members endured the cyclone. Staff on both islands are safe, and are currently being relocated to the mainland. Dunk Island Resort General Manager, David Henry, and Bedarra Acting General Manager, Sophia Rutty, are in the process of analysing the cost of the extensive damage to both resorts, and preparing to announce when they will be open again. Further to the south, the Whitsunday Islands had braced for the arrival of Yasi with large-scale evacuations and emergency preparations. The chief executive of Tourism Whitsundays, Peter O’Reilly, said that around 3,000 tourists and staff had been flown to the mainland. The resort island’s chief executive, Glenn Bourke, said that the 41 guests who chose to stay were kept safe. The islands were not as hard hit as other areas, and most resorts are already back open for business. Hamilton Island welcomed back guests today for business as usual, following a swift and thorough clean up in the wake of the cyclone. Despite winds of over 100 km/hr, the island fortunately only suffered minor vegetation damage. The Hamilton Island team had taken precautionary measures to ensure the safety of guests and staff, and they are now rebooking guests who were forced to postpone their holidays. Hayman Island also evacuated all guests on Tuesday, and only suffered minor damage to vegetation and the beachfront Azure restaurant. The island is cleaning up and welcoming guests back. |