KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC -Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett says tourism is on the rebound following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa in October.
Bartlett, speaking with Radio Jamaica News on Friday, said he is pleasantly surprised by the pace of the sector’s restoration following the storm’s destruction.
Bartlett said he was also in discussions with the operators of the Hyatt Hotel chain, which suspended operations at seven of its hotels until November 1, 2026.
He said tourists are again flocking to the island, “and getting to where we had up to the 31st of December 450,000 visitors coming and generating US$474 million for the economy.”
“We are looking into continuing that recovery programme. We have about 7 properties that are still to come back on stream. I’m having discussions with our stakeholders about timelines, and I’m anticipating a contraction of some of the timelines as the repair work is moving apace,” he noted.
The Tourism Minister added that significant improvements to hotel infrastructure will be made in the coming weeks to help revive the sector.
“The new hotels that are under construction are still moving apace, and some new ones are going to start construction in the first quarter of this year. Our airline partners are still very bullish about Jamaica, and I’m anticipating that the recovery will only strengthen as we go on with the experience,” he said.
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