After suffering significant damage from Hurricane Matthew in October, the area around Lucayan Beach in The Bahamas has been re-opened with all vendors again welcoming tourists and locals.

According to a report from The Freeport News newspaper, the area around Lucayan Beach is home to the Grand Lucayan Resort complex along with its Memories Grand Bahama All-Inclusive Beach Resort and was re-opened on Sunday after taking an almost direct hit from the category four storm and its 140mph winds on October 7.

“For several weeks now the public beach access had been temporarily unavailable to guests, not only for their safety but to allow time for the various partners to act in their various capacities,” said Elaine Smith, Grand Bahama Planning Department Coordinator for the island nation’s Ministry Of Tourism.

In the immediate aftermath of the storm, Smith told The Freeport News that tourists had been offered experiences on nearby Grand Bahama beaches that had remained in good condition including Taino Beach, Fortune Beach, Banana Bay and Gold Rock Beach in the Lucayan National Park. She also thanked industry partners including tour operators and transportation providers that had suspended bringing guests to the area so that essential evaluations and repairs could be undertaken.

“The Ministry [Of Tourism] continues to ask that persons using this area be aware that there is ongoing work taking place along the beach as homeowners make repairs to their properties,” Smith told the newspaper.

To aid overall safety, Smith declared that appropriate signage had been erected to raise awareness of any repairs and encourage visitors to exercise caution when using the Freeport beach.

Clement Pinder, a representative for the Grand Bahama Taxi Union, told the newspaper that he is happy that access to the beach has finally been restored.

“It is especially good to know that the drivers, vendors and, in fact, everyone in the tourism industry can be back in place,” Pinder told The Freeport News.