Jamaica tourism officials said
they expect visitor arrivals will rebound to approximately 80% of pre-hurricane
levels by the end of 2026.
NEW YORK -- Jamaica is projecting that visitor arrivals will
rebound to approximately 80% of pre-hurricane levels by the end of 2026.
It has been nearly two months since Hurricane Melissa made
landfall in Jamaica in late October, and an initial fast recovery has
enabled the island nation to salvage the holiday travel season, but a long road
lies ahead.
Jamaica Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett and Jamaica
Tourist Board Director of Tourism Donovan White shared the latest recovery
timeline during a media event in New York City on December 18. Bartlett said
that Jamaica had approximately 3 million stopover visitor arrivals in 2024 and,
prior to Hurricane Melissa, had been on track for a 2% increase in 2025.
Instead, the destination now expects to finish 2025 roughly
20% below 2024.
“That’s substantial for a country our size,” said Bartlett,
who estimates that around 30% of Jamaica’s tourism assets were impacted by the
Category 5 hurricane.
Not one of those five [developers] has pulled back or indicated any hesitancy for moving forward.
Edmund Bartlett
According to White, approximately 70% of Jamaica’s room
inventory is back online, with around 80% of inventory expected to be
operational by February. Room inventory is projected to reach close to 100%
recovery by the end of 2026.
Some resorts are using the recovery period to make
significant upgrades, with Donovan citing the Bahia Principe Grand Jamaica as
well as heavily impacted Sandals resorts.
According to Bartlett, some of these properties will
essentially relaunch as “new product” when they reopen.
Bartlett also touted continued investor confidence in
Jamaica, highlighting five “mega” developments that are proceeding with
construction: a Unico Hotel Collection and Hard Rock Hotel resort complex, The
Pinnacle luxury residences, the Harmony Cove luxury resort and residential
complex, an expansion of the Grand Palladium Jamaica and a 350-room Bahia
Principe hotel.
“Not one of those five has pulled back or indicated any
hesitancy for moving forward,” Bartlett said.
Beyond these investments, Bartlett outlined broader plans to
enhance the destination, describing the hurricane-recovery process as an
opportunity “to rebuild, reimagine and reposition” Jamaica. That process
includes plans for broader infrastructure updates like new highway
connectivity, improved telecommunications and energy systems, and a redesigned
cruise port experience in Falmouth that he said will “redefine cruise tourism”
and feature “attractions that are going to be at another level.”
Note: This story originally appeared in Travel Weekly