Jamaica’s tourism industry has entered a “new phase” of recovery following Hurricane Melissa, generating $2.5 billion in tourism earnings through 31AUG, according to the Caribbean Journal.
The publication says Jamaica welcomed 2.34 million visitors during the same period, despite 30% of the island’s hotel inventory still being out of service following Melissa.
Several major all-inclusive resorts remain closed, and their room counts represent a significant portion of the inventory Jamaica still has to bring back online.
Among them is a cluster of Hyatt-affiliated properties in the Montego Bay/Rose Hall corridor: Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall, Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall, Secrets St. James Montego Bay, Secrets Wild Orchid Montego Bay, Breathless Montego Bay Resort & Spa, Dreams Rose Hall Resort & Spa and Jewel Grande Montego Bay Resort & Spa have all had their reopening dates pushed to Q1 of next year.
Three impacted Sandals properties in Jamaica are undergoing a $200 million Sandals 2.0 transformation following Hurricane Melissa and are scheduled to reopen in December 2026.
As visitor arrivals recover, they are still 17% below the same period last year, and tourism revenue is down 18%, according to Jamaica Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett.
During the first three months of 2026, Jamaica recorded 534,652 stayover visitors, down 27.5% from the same period a year earlier.
As the publication notes, Jamaica has continued to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall on the Caribbean island in late October 2025.
“We understand how challenging this situation has been for locals and visitors alike,” said Bartlett in November 2025. “The government remains committed to working tirelessly to get our sectors back to normal as soon as possible.”
Despite the challenges, Jamaica appears to be getting back on track.
