Cleaning up in Cancun.

• Author: Hardman, Chris

A YEAR AFTER ONE of the strongest Caribbean hurricanes on record ravaged Mexico's number-one tourist destination, Cancun is reinventing itself. "In addition to improved airport facilities, returning guests will also witness that Cancun's resorts, attractions, and beaches have experienced a great deal of change since Hurricane Wilma last year, thanks to a destination-wide commitment to revitalize the area," says Artemio Santos, executive director of the Cancun Convention and Visitors Bureau.

More than just a popular vacation spot, Cancun generates a significant source of income for the country as a whole. According to the Visitors Bureau, approximately three million tourists visit Cancan each year, accounting for 30 percent of all tourism dollars spent in Mexico, when Hurricane Wilma blew through the Yucatan Peninsula on October 21, 2005, the damage to Cancun's hotels, restaurants, and beaches was immeasurable. Ranked a category 5, Wilma battered Cancun for more than twenty-four hours, with top winds estimated at 145 miles per hour.

The slow-moving hurricane decimated Cancun's top attraction, its beautiful shoreline with miles of soft sand. What was once a boulevard of powder-white sand was reduced to a thin strip of beach in some locations and to no beach in others. To fix the famous beach, the Mexican government hired Jan De Nul, a global leader in dredging, stone placement, filling, and salvage services, to reclaim the sand that was swept out to sea. The massive dredging project was begun last February and finished in record-time only two months later. Working around the clock, workers dredged sand from twenty-two miles offshore and delivered it through a pipe for distribution...