By the Caribbean Journal staff

Antigua’s tourism industry has quickly bounced back from Hurricane Irma, with excursions, restaurants and hotels reopening for business.

Popular restaurants like Beach Limers, Coconut Grove, Sheer Rocks, Turners and Le Bistro have already opened their doors, while tour operators have also reopened to provide everything from safari land tours to snorkeling excursions.

Close to 2,000 rooms of Antigua’s hotel room stock will be available by the end of October, the country’s tourist board said in a statement.

The first properties set to open are the Pineapple Beach Club and Blue Waters, which will debut Sept. 14 and 21, respectively; both had been in the midst of upgrade projects.

Other resorts that will reopen for the peak season by the end of next month include Cocobay, Jumby Bay, Curtain Bluff, Carlisle Bay, Hawksbill by Rex Resorts, Heritage Quay Hotel, St. James’s Club, The Inn at English Harbor, and Nonsuch Bay.

Antigua’s VC Bird International Airport and cruise ship berths are already welcoming passengers.