Travelers looking to head south this winter may want to reconsider booking a Caribbean vacation with prices expected to rise due to recent hurricanes.
Brett Smith, who is the owner of Forsyth Travel Ltd. in Chatham, expects to see vacation prices impacted due to the hurricanes tearing through the Caribbean.
"Right now, most vacation prices are kind of holding their own. Although, we have a feeling that we're going to start see some increases, because there's more demand for what's available," says Smith.
Smith says he expects land vacations to be affected more than cruises.
"I don't think the cruises will change too much, but I'm just a little anxious that the land will, because we've lost some good properties in St. Martin, as well as Cuba," he says.
He adds that a lot of eastern Caribbean cruise lines are switching to the Western Caribbean. He says they're still offering the same packages, just different ports.
Although, Smith says there's no need to fret if you've already booked.
"If they've booked for an effected area, one of the places where the resorts will not be opening during the time, they're eligible for a full refund. Their other option is to apply it towards any other destination," explains Smith.
Smith says lately he tries to persuade prospective travelers to choose a different location, rather than the areas that were affected by recent hurricanes, or simply pick a different date.