In the wake of Hurricane Melissa, which moved directly across the Caribbean island of Jamaica October 28 delivering sustained winds of 165 miles per hour and 20 inches of rainfall, it became clear that the popular incentive destinations of Montego Bay and Negril suffered significant damage.
Nonetheless, the small nation’s tourism leaders are making bold proclamations about recovery: Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s minister of tourism, has set a target for Jamaica’s tourism industry to be fully back in operation by December 15 of this year.
To deliver on that goal, the Ministry of Tourism activated a Hurricane Melissa Recovery Task Force and a companion Tourism Resilience Coordination Committee, called Tourism Cares, to synchronize public- and private-sector action.
“Recovery cannot be left to chance,” Bartlett said. “We are aligning marketing, communications, infrastructure repairs, aid, logistics and every enabling support behind a single objective: full industry operation by December 15. Progress will be tracked through the Ministry of Tourism with regular public updates, so workers, visitors and partners can plan with confidence.”
The Hurricane Melissa Recovery Task Force will drive the operational restart of the sector, prioritizing rapid assessments, product rehabilitation and service readiness across resorts, attractions, airports, cruise ports and key transportation corridors. Working through agency and private-sector leads, it will assist with the clearing of bottlenecks, sequencing repairs and coordinating go-to-market readiness to restore safety, service quality and visitor confidence before the end of the year.
The Tourism Resilience Coordination Committee (Tourism Cares) will organize the contributions and goodwill focused on recovery. It will identify, coordinate and mobilize assistance, including cash, in-kind goods, skilled volunteers and technical expertise from across the tourism community and, along with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, route it efficiently via supportjamaica.gov.jm for transparent processing and timely delivery to workers, small and mid-sized businesses, and communities that power the visitor economy.
“Tourism’s strength lies not just in its product offerings, but in its people and partnerships,” Bartlett said. “The speed and synergy of our response show the industry’s resilience and our unwavering commitment to recovery with empathy, compassion and innovation.”
How to help: supportjamaica.gov.jm
