Four months after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the Caribbean property market enters 2018 in sharply bifurcated condition. Jamaica and Barbados report exceptional winter season performance while the reconstruction territories continue their long recovery. The insurance market is repricing hurricane risk across the entire region.

The Caribbean closes the books on 2017 — the most catastrophic year in the region’s modern property and investment history. Two Category 5 hurricanes, Irma and Maria, reshaped the regional landscape in September while the unaffected islands delivered their strongest winter season in years. We assess what 2017 meant and what 2018 holds.

Three months on from the twin catastrophes of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the Caribbean enters the holiday season in a dramatically bifurcated state. Unaffected islands are experiencing a tourism boom as diverted demand flows south, while Barbuda, Dominica and Puerto Rico face continuing humanitarian and reconstruction challenges.

Two months after Hurricane Irma and six weeks after Hurricane Maria, the Caribbean is deep in the acute recovery phase. Puerto Rico remains 80 percent without power, Dominica faces a years-long rebuilding challenge, and the property insurance crisis is reshaping the regional market. Unaffected islands are quietly absorbing displaced tourism demand.