mexico city hurricane irma deadly tear caribbean hobble region multi-billion dollar tourism industry months hotels airlines cruise gear region peak winter season one powerful atlantic storm century irma kill 21 people leave hotels airports build damage flatten across prime vacation islands st. martin barbuda friday hurtle north cuba toward florida jack richards president u.s.-based tour operator pleasant holiday say may well next year local tourism industry begin normalize cost billions lose business region busy travel season run mid-december easter americans canadians europeans leave behind snow cold warm turquoise caribbean water repair time infrastructure rebuild countries simply say massive days irma raze first islands richards say book already drop caribbean company second-most popular destination worldwide u.s. tourists 26 million international tourists expect year caribbean world travel tourism council wttc project irma hit 2016 foreign visitors spend 31 billion caribbean expect spend additional 5.3 percent 2017. wttc estimate 2016 travel tourism contribute 56 billion gross domestic product disruption tourism industry disruption livelihood caribbean tourism organization cto spokesman hugh riley say officials across islands struggle gauge scope destruction irma knock electricity cell phone service force airports close trouble may yet caribbean hurricane jose forecast saturday pass powerful category storm close group islands trash irma hurricane season set run several weeks friday afternoon u.s. virgin islands department tourism urge visitors stay away st. thomas four people die storm airport remain close comercial traffic st. croix airport slat reopen friday 150-room windward passage upscale hotel overlook st. thomas harbor u.s. virgin islands plan close six months report department tourism tiny island barbuda alone home 1,800 people reef-lined beach preliminary damage estimate top 100 million riley say 95 percent island build destroy cruise line tour operators airlines scramble accommodate tourists postpone plan royal caribbean cruise carnival cruise line norwegian cruise line cancel several caribbean-bound cruise weekend rerouted others avoid sail storm dangerous paths european tour operator tui say evacuate florida customers hotels inland orlando bring vacationers cuba shelter german tour operator touristik say would bus tourists arrive cruise ship miami friday directly shelter ship would leave harbor hurricane hit recovery efforts hard-hit areas far prove difficult rolando brison st. martin director tourism say firefighters struggle hose sand dump storm onto airport runways leave nearly 3,000 tourists strand airport remain close friday tourism economy say people eat version story correct paragraph 11 show st. thomas airport close st. john caribbean islands fear grim tourist season irma 's wake