Hurricane Melissa, the devastating Category 5 (five) hurricane that struck Jamaica on October 28, 2025, left the island in severe destruction. The hurricane caused immense destruction across the country, mostly affecting the western parishes. The damage caused in the parishes such as Westmoreland, St. James, and St. Elizabeth, Jamaica’s tourism capitals, left most of the hotels, beaches and tourist attractions in ruins, causing there to be a pause in Jamaica’s tourism industry.
Several Hyatt Hotels Corporation resorts in Jamaica, including Breathless Montego Bay, Dreams Rose Hall, Hyatt Ziva and Zilara Rose Hall, Secrets St. James and Wild Orchid, Jewel Grande, and Zoëtry Montego Bay, were temporarily closed to assess damages caused by Hurricane Melissa. They are expected to reopen on January 31, 2026. The closure has raised concerns about a potential economic downturn in the tourism sector for the remainder of the year.
With approximately 175,000 Jamaicans employed in tourism, the scale of displacement is still being assessed. Many hotel employees in western parishes were said to have lost their homes or seen their workplaces closed due to extreme damage caused by wind and flooding. However, the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) has announced a J$10-million relief plan to assist affected workers. Suggested at a recent JHTA Council meeting, the initiative will allocate two tranches of J$5 million, drawn from the association’s charity fund, to provide targeted assistance to tourism workers and their families who suffered significant losses during the storm.
Despite the challenges, Jamaica is determined to get the tourism sector back on track just in time for the winter holiday. Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett said he expects the tourism sector to return to normal operations by December 15, 2025, just in time for the country’s peak tourism season. “Recovery cannot be left to chance,” said Minister Bartlett. “We are aligning marketing, communications, infrastructure repairs, aid, logistics, and every enabling support behind a single objective: full operation by Dec.15. Progress will be tracked by the Ministry of Tourism with regular public updates, so workers, visitors and partners can plan with confidence.”
With resilience and unity, Jamaica’s tourism industry is proving once again that the island’s spirit can weather any storm.
