Hurricane Matthew has caused an influx of cruise ships to be rerouted to Cozumel after it blew through Haiti and caused mandatory evacuations for parts of the eastern U.S. According to Weather.com, the hurricane is currently affecting The Bahamas and is expected to hit Florida tonight followed by the coastlines of Georgia and the Carolinas into the weekend.
Before news of Hurricane Matthew, Cozumel was expecting four cruise ships on Tuesday and received seven instead; this raised the tourist count from 12,000 to 26,000 before the day was through. Wednesday saw the same pattern as five ships docked in Cozumel instead of the expected two.
This increase in cruise ships has meant a stronger tourist season for local workers in Cozumel as this is normally considered their low season. In fact, 17 cruise ships were expected to dock in Cozumel during the week of October 9, a number that has since increased to 23 with more ships expected to dock as well.