LAS VEGAS - The Caribbean is back. And it’s better than ever.

Karolin Troubetzkoy, Immediate Past President of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association and Executive Director, Marketing & Operations at Anse Chastanet & Jade Mountain on Saint Lucia, told a panel at Virtuoso Travel Week that there’s no denying hurricanes battered the Caribbean last September. But she said the public seems to think the damage was far more severe, and far more widespread, than was actually the case.

Troubetzkoy said the Caribbean is a region that stretches the same distance as Toronto to Miami from north to south and from Atlanta to Los Angeles from east to west. Only 10 of 33 countries were affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, she said.

“The region lost three per cent of arrivals,” Troubetzkoy said. “But we’re coming back even better.”

Tiago Sarmento of Belmond Cap Juluca in Anguilla told the media that only a couple of resorts on the island have yet to re-open, and that 95 to 98 per cent of restaurants are fully functional. The rest will open by November, in plenty of time for the winter arrival of Canadians and other sun-seekers.

“What we need now is for the tourists to come back," he said.

Rhodni Skelton, deputy director of tourism for the British Virgin Islands, said BVI was badly damaged by the storms but is bouncing back.

He also brought the room to a hush when he talked about the windstorm warning that hit Las Vegas the other night, a warning he said brought back vivid memories of the hurricanes. The imagery was so powerful that Skelton had to stop his Virtuoso presentation and gather his thoughts before he could continue speaking.

There was a bit of levity at the presentation. Vicki Freed of Royal Caribbean International talked about how the cruise line picked up residents who lived on hurricane-damaged islands and took them to Florida to be with relatives.

Some residents didn’t want to leave their pets bedhind, so Royal Caribbean ended up ferrying not only people but cats, hamsters, birds and lots and lots of dogs. The pooches, of course, needed a place to do what comes naturally, forcing the cruise line to turn their miniature golf courses into canine relief stations.

“Of course, we cleaned everything up afterward,” Freed said with a smile.

Earlier in the day, Virtuoso CEO Matthew Upchurch and Senior Vice President David Kornel told assembled trade media that this has been a banner year for the company. And 2019 looks just as good, if not better.

Here are some of the company’s accomplishments and coming attractions:

The network has reached a new high with member agencies now in 50 countries, announcing the 50th – Uruguay – at Virtuoso Travel Week here in Las Vegas. Virtuoso now encompasses more than 1,000 agency locations with 17,500 advisors.

In the past year, Virtuoso has increased its ranks by more than 200 member locations, as well as adding agencies in three new countries: Turkey, Monaco and Uruguay.

Virtuoso advisor sales surpass (U.S.) $23.7 billion a year, up 12 per cent from the previous year, making the network a powerhouse in luxury travel.

2019 is already looking promising, judging by reported sales for next year. Cruise sales are up 15 percent, On-Site ground operator sales up 14 per cent and tour sales up 9 per cent.

The Virtuoso Certified Travel Advisor (VCTA) program offers an intensive week-long immersion for those new to the profession or to Virtuoso. Marking its fifth year, the program has graduated more than 270 advisors with 112 different agencies, transforming them rapidly into million-dollar advisors. Graduates average 74 percent more in production than their peers. Virtuoso will be offering four VCTA classes in 2019.

Virtuoso Travel Week on Tour, for frontline advisors, offers one-on-one networking and professional development in 26 cities in 14 countries on five continents in 2019. The event will be in Vancouver March 7 and 8, 2019 and in Toronto on March 14 and 15, 2019.

Virtuoso Forum, attended by agency owners and managers, allows participants to maximize their membership benefits through professional development and networking sessions. The US & Canada Forum, the network’s highest rated event (99 percent of attendees say it’s a good use of their time) will be held in Austin, Texas Jan. 24-26, 2019.

Next year’s Virtuoso Travel Week will take place Aug. 10-16 at Bellagio Resort & Casino, ARIA Resort & Casino and Vdara Hotel & Spa.