Carnival Corp’s chief executive said on Thursday that the cruise company expected Puerto Rico and the Caribbean to rebound by winter after hurricanes that wrecked havoc on the islands.
“The resiliency of those people and the focus they have, I would be very surprised if they’re not up and running before Christmas, which is the time for the peak season. Very surprised if they’re not,” Chief Executive Officer Arnold Donald told Reuters.
Hurricane Maria, which made landfall in Puerto Rico last week, dumped torrential rain on the U.S. territory, destroyed its electricity grid and killed at least 16 people.
The storm was one of several massive hurricanes that walloped the region over the last several weeks.
Aspects of the tourism industry, including airlines and hotels, have been largely crippled in areas that were hardest hit by storms.
Doug Parker, chief executive of American Airlines, the largest U.S. carrier, said on CNBC that Puerto Rico lacked the infrastructure that would allow the airline to ramp up flights, which have been limited to a handful a day.
Cruise ships were able to sail out of harm’s way during the storms.
Earlier this month, Carnival raised its full-year forecast for earnings. It said it expected a 10 cent to 12 cent per share impact on fourth-quarter earnings due to the closures of some 7 percent to 9 percent of ports in the Caribbean due to Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
