Jamaica Says All 33,000 Hotel Rooms Will Be Back Online by Year-End — Faster Than Anyone Expected
Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett says Jamaica's hotel recovery from Hurricane Melissa is outpacing projections, with tourism earnings declining just 3%.
Jamaica expects all 33,000 hotel rooms to be fully operational by December 2026, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett announced on March 9 during a parliamentary finance session. The timeline represents a significantly faster recovery than initial damage assessments had projected.
Early post-hurricane estimates suggested only 80% of rooms would recover, but the outlook has since improved dramatically. Gross tourism earnings for the 2025-26 fiscal year are projected at US$3.228 billion — just a 3% decline from the prior year's $3.327 billion. Visitor arrivals are expected to drop only 1%.
What This Means for All-Inclusive Travelers
Jamaica is home to some of the Caribbean's most popular all-inclusive brands. Sandals Resorts operates multiple properties across the island, while RIU Hotels, Iberostar, Royalton, Bahia Principe, and Couples Resorts all maintain significant Jamaican footprints.
Travel agents have already secured 23,000 room nights valued at approximately US$8 million as part of organized recovery efforts. All three major airports — Sangster International in Montego Bay, Norman Manley in Kingston, and Ian Fleming in Ocho Rios — are back to normal operations.
Tourism accounts for over 30% of Jamaica's GDP and one-third of employment on the island. The faster-than-expected recovery is welcome news for travelers who had postponed Jamaica bookings, with most major resort corridors now accepting guests at full capacity.
