Mississippi recovery ‘will take years’
It is likely to be two years before tourism returns to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, tourist officials have admitted.
As the clean-up operation began to gather pace, Mississippi Tourism UK representative David Nicholson said the entire infrastructure on the coast will need rebuilding with tourists not expected to return until the middle of 2007.
While New Orleans has optimistically stated in will be three months before tourists are back, Mississippi said its own recovery programme will take significantly longer.
“The entire infrastructure on the sea-front has been wiped out. In terms of a tourist experience it will be 18 months to two years before it is ready,” said Nicholson. “It is utter devastation.”
State Governor Haley Barbour said hurricane Katrina has changed the face of Mississippi for years to come but stressed it will return “phoenix-like” and better than ever.
Report by Steve Jones
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