KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Ministry of Tourism has set December 15, 2025, as the date by which it wants Jamaica’s tourism industry fully back in operation, as the sector begins counting the cost of Hurricane Melissa.
Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett announced the target alongside two new bodies to steer the recovery, according to a Jamaica Information Service report published on October 30.
Task force and committee named
A Hurricane Melissa Recovery Task Force will be chaired by John Byles of Chukka Caribbean Adventures, with the minister serving as chairman emeritus. Its twelve members include Minister of State Tova Hamilton, Permanent Secretary Jennifer Griffith, Professor Lloyd Waller of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, Adam Stewart of Sandals Resorts and Ian Dear of the Tourism Product Development Company, among other industry leaders.
A separate Tourism Resilience Coordination Committee, branded Tourism Cares, will be led by Jessica Shannon, chief experience officer at Sandals Resorts. Relief support is being channelled through the Government’s Support Jamaica portal.
Mr Bartlett said recovery could not be left to chance, and that marketing, communications, infrastructure repairs, aid and logistics were being aligned behind a single objective of full operation by mid-December. He added that progress would be tracked by the ministry and updated publicly so that workers, visitors and business partners could plan with confidence.
A race against the winter season
The December date is significant because it coincides with the start of the lucrative winter tourist season, when North American and European arrivals peak. Hotels, attractions and transport operators in the western parishes, which bore the brunt of the storm, face the steepest climb to meet the deadline.
What it means for property owners and investors
Tourism underpins rental demand, jobs and property values across Montego Bay, Negril, Ocho Rios and surrounding communities. A swift restart would help protect short-term rental incomes and the livelihoods of thousands of workers who rent or pay mortgages in resort towns. Investors holding or considering tourism-linked property should watch the ministry’s progress updates closely, as the pace of hotel reopenings will shape occupancy, rents and resale values in these markets through 2026.
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