Airlines and tour operators serving destinations affected by Hurricane Irma are expected to return to normal operations this week. This comes after thousands of flights were cancelled when Florida, Cuba and other islands across the Caribbean were battered by winds in excess of 130mph, killing at least 49 people, causing extensive damage and flooding and leaving millions homeless and without power.

Having passed the Leeward Islands, St Martin, the British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Cuba – where damage is now being assessed by authorities – Irma is now moving north across Florida into south-west Georgia and eastern Alabama. By Sunday (10 September), more than 12,500 flights had been cancelled because of Irma, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware, with airlines including British Airways continuing to make cancellations on Monday.

However, as the relief effort begins, travel is starting to resume. The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) have been collecting reports from across the islands, which have been affected by the hurricane. The Dominican Republic, Haiti, Antigua and Anguilla experienced minimal damage, with some hotels expected to welcome guests from as early as Thursday. Tourism infrastructure in Puerto Rico is also operational and the island is continuing to welcome new visitors.

Barbuda and the British Virgin Islands were devastated by Irma. In Barbuda 90% of homes were destroyed. Hotel infrastructure was also damaged but, according to the CTO, with fewer than 100 hotel rooms, the overall effect on tourism is minimal. According to a statement from the director of tourism for the British Virgin Islands, Sharon Flax-Brutus, the damage has been “devastating”, with communication and power down. Individual hotels have reported some “manageable” damage.