Jamaica’s tourism industry 71% ready as winter season begins post-Melissa

As the 2025/26 winter tourist season officially got underway on Monday, December 15, Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett announced that Jamaica’s tourism sector is 71 per cent ready to accommodate visitors in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.

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The sector was forced to close following the passage of the category-five hurricane, which made landfall on October 28 and caused varying levels of damage to hotels and attractions along the island’s west and north coasts.

Minister Bartlett said that while some hotels are still working toward full operational capacity, the country’s attractions are fully ready, as are all three international airports.

“So, we know that we have lost a few things, but what we have is so strong and so powerful that we can say to the world today, ‘come to Jamaica and feel all right, because we are ready for you’,” the minister said.

He was speaking at the annual Staff Appreciation Breakfast for workers at Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA), held at the Kingston facility on Monday.

Bartlett noted that Jamaica’s readiness to once again lead the Caribbean tourism market has already drawn positive responses from airline partners, some of which have indicated plans to increase service to the island.

“Let’s focus on the fact that we are substantially ready. Our airline partners are responding to us. Copa [Airlines] is adding flights – we’re going to be getting 10 flights per week in Montego Bay now, and five flights in Kingston,” he said.

The tourism minister also reported that between December 11 and 14, a total of 20,800 tourists arrived in Jamaica. He added that more than 300,000 visitors have entered the country through cruise ships and stopover arrivals over the past five weeks, signalling strong momentum in the sector’s recovery.

“I am proud to say today that the recovery is going to be a V-shaped… because, already in less than five weeks, we have brought over 300,000 tourists into Jamaica… and that is the beginning of that V-shaped recovery,” Bartlett said.

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He further emphasized tourism’s critical role in Jamaica’s economic recovery, noting that the sector tends to rebound faster than others after global shocks or catastrophic events.

“But tourism is not just about bringing back visitors… it’s about bringing back the economy of Jamaica,” Bartlett said. “Every time that there is an economic slump based on any global activity and catastrophic event, it is tourism that comes back the fastest, because of its immediate convertibility properties.”

“The immediate moment that the plane flies in, the dollar comes, and when the ship docks at the port, the dollar flows and it goes straight into the pockets of the ordinary person. So there is no time lag to grow and to nurture and to package, as tourism is instant dollar response,” he added.