Jamaica's Tourism Recovery Just Hit a Major Milestone — and More Resorts Are on the Way
Tourism Minister Bartlett says Jamaica has reached 80% of pre-hurricane visitor arrivals, with several major resort reopenings and renovations driving the rebound.
Jamaica's tourism sector has recovered to more than 80 percent of pre-Hurricane Melissa visitor arrival levels, according to an announcement by Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett during the official reopening of Eclipse at Half Moon in Montego Bay on April 2.
The milestone comes roughly six months after Hurricane Melissa swept through the island in October 2025, temporarily shutting down several major resort properties and disrupting a tourism sector that had been on a strong upward trajectory. The recovery has been faster than many industry observers expected, driven by a combination of aggressive rebuilding timelines and new investment.
Several properties have already returned to full operation. Sandals Dunn's River was among the first all-inclusive resorts to reopen after the storm, and Sandals Resorts has since announced a $200 million investment to reimagine three of its flagship Jamaica properties — Sandals Montego Bay, Sandals Royal Caribbean, and Sandals South Coast — all of which are expected to reopen in late 2026 with fully redesigned rooms, pools, dining concepts, and arrival experiences.
Other operators on the island have taken a similar approach, treating the reconstruction period as a chance to upgrade rather than simply restore. The pattern mirrors what happened after past Caribbean hurricanes, where properties that invest in post-storm improvements often come back stronger in terms of both product quality and booking demand.
Jamaica's north coast corridor, stretching from Montego Bay through Negril, remains the island's primary tourism engine. With most major properties either already reopened or on track for late-2026 returns, the 80 percent recovery figure is likely to keep climbing through the summer high season.
