Jamaica Is Still Missing a Third of Its Hotel Rooms — and Travelers Don't Seem to Mind
Jamaica has pulled 2.34 million visitors and $2.5 billion in earnings this year while roughly 30 percent of its hotel inventory remains offline.
Jamaica welcomed 2.34 million visitors and generated $2.5 billion in tourism earnings through Aug. 31 — even with a large share of its hotel inventory still offline after Hurricane Melissa. The figures, released Sept. 3 by Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, are the clearest sign yet that demand is recovering faster than the island can bring back rooms.
Arrivals remain about 17 percent below the same period last year and revenue is down roughly 18 percent. But only about 70 percent of Jamaica's hotel rooms are currently available, leaving close to 30 percent out of service. In other words, the drop in visitors is far smaller than the share of hotel capacity that's still missing.
"It's outpacing our inventory," Bartlett said of the arrival numbers, adding that Jamaica's operating flights are "flying full on every occasion."
The Rooms Are Coming Back in Stages
The comeback has moved resort by resort. Half Moon in Montego Bay is fully operational again after months of restoration. Negril has absorbed a fresh wave of rooms, including the return of Royalton Negril and Grand Lido Negril, both part of Royalton's Marriott-affiliated portfolio.
Still, the biggest missing piece is concentrated in Montego Bay, where a cluster of large all-inclusives — including several Hyatt, Secrets and Dreams properties — aren't expected back until the first quarter of next year. That inventory is exactly the kind that can move national arrival numbers once it reopens.
For travelers, availability varies sharply by resort and date, and the recovery has produced some unusually aggressive pricing as properties compete to rebuild occupancy. With more rooms scheduled to return before the winter season, Jamaica's rebound is entering its most important stretch.
