Jamaica tourism on track for full hotel recovery after Hurricane Melissa

Jamaica's tourism sector is steadily rebuilding after Hurricane Melissa devastated parts of the industry in October 2025, with hotel openings and employment both moving back toward pre-storm levels.

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett gave lawmakers an update on Tuesday during the sectoral debates in Parliament. He said that, as of mid-April, projections showed the country's hotel capacity on course to recover to more than 80 percent by summer.

Bartlett outlined a phased reopening schedule for properties still closed after the storm. Additional hotels are expected to come back online in July, August, September and October. By December, capacity should reach roughly 95 percent, with full restoration of room inventory targeted for the first quarter of 2027.

Despite the hurricane's impact late in the year, Jamaica recorded 3.7 million visitor arrivals in 2025, generating approximately US$4 billion in earnings. Several major properties have already resumed operations, and more than 80,000 tourism workers have returned to their jobs.