If you have a trip to the Yucatan coast booked, the storm might have thrown a soggy punch to your vacation plans.

The hurricane smashed the island of Cozumel, a popular spot for divers and cruise ship stops 11 miles (17.7 km) off the mainland. Wilma substantially damaged hotels and the Punta Maya Pier for cruise ships was destroyed. White-sand beaches disappeared in some areas, but early reports from dive shops indicate the famous coral reefs off the island escaped major damage.

Although airport and ferry services were restored soon after the storm, electricity was still out late that week and cruise ship dockings remained suspended.

Another island close to Cancun, Isla Mujeres was hammered by the storm. Its Playa Norte was washed away, and the town center lost many boutiques and docks.

RUIN ON THE MAINLAND

After battering Cozumel, Wilma came ashore in a sparsely populated area near the heavily-touristed town of Playa del Carmen about 30 miles south of Cancun. It flattened dozens of wooden houses before creeping north.

In Cancun, the hurricane sent ocean waves surging over the hotel zone. The streets on this narrow strip of land were completely inundated, while the storm shattered windows and tore off hotel roofs.

Some beaches were washed away and officials said highrise resorts could take weeks, if not months, to repair.

So what do you do if you've already booked a trip to the area? "Number one is keep in close contact with your travel agent," said Holly Botsford, public relations manager of Funjet Vacations, which books about one million passengers a year to Mexico.

ASSESSING DAMAGE

Many tourism agencies sent representatives to the Yucatan, where they have been assessing damage to the area.

Damage to specific resorts was expected to vary. "You may hear that a certain hotel has structural damage and won't be open for some time. The hotel next door may just have to do cleanup and open in a few weeks," she said. "Keep an eye on your specific hotel."

The company was encouraging people to rebook, offering US50 incentives to those who rescheduled for travel before Jan. 31. "We want to save your vacation," she said.

Juan Portillo, owner of Austin-based Tramex Travel, says this season's hurricanes which struck Mexico, Cuba and Honduras as well as the Gulf Coast of the United States have wreaked havoc on his business.

"We do about US2 million in business to Mexico every year, and we haven't seen much since the middle of July."

The six-month hurricane season in the Atlantic did not officially end until Nov. 30.

Rose Marie Hagman of Tramex Travel Tarrytown, who has been fielding calls from worried customers who have trips booked over Christmas and spring break, expects the resorts to push for a quick reopening. "They're going to do everything they possibly can to get ready to start accepting guests, because they're going into peak season," she said.

Quintana Roo, the Caribbean coastal state that includes the hurricane-ravaged resorts, accounted for half the nights spent by foreign tourists in the country last year.

Pamela LeBlance writes for the Austin American-Statesman. E-mail: pleblanc@statesman.com. This article contains material from wire services.