Seasonal & Holidays

Key West To Reopen For Tourism On October 20: Report

According to Travel Weekly, a county official said the popular destination is optimistic it will be ready for tourism in just over a month.

KEY WEST, FL — An official from the Monroe County Tourist Development Council told Travel Weekly that Key West will open for tourism by Oct. 20 in a little over a month, if everything goes according to plan.

The Florida Keys bore the brunt of Hurricane Irma's force as it throttled the peninsula state. According to FEMA, around 25 percent of the homes on the islands have been completely destroyed, though county officials dispute this number. Residents have been allowed to return to the upper Keys in recent days as no one has been permitted back to the middle and lower Keys. Many of those who stayed on the islands throughout the storm are currently struggling to obtain basic necessities such as food and water.

Nevertheless, Andy Newman of the tourist council is hopeful that Oct. 20, the beginning of "Fantasy Fest," will mark the return of travellers to the island city. "It could be sooner, but that is a date that everyone is comfortable with," Newman told Travel Weekly.

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Watch: Governor Rick Scott Tours Damage In The Florida Keys


Read the full report on Travel Weekly>>

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Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

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