JAMAICA STRONG:

TOURISM RECOVERY AFTER HURRICANE MELISSA

One year after the storm, western Jamaica is rebuilding.

By Natalie Preddie

Montego Bay, Jamaica, was one of the areas worst hit by Hurricane Melissa; now, the community is ready to welcome visitors back. | VIDEO: BLACKBOXGUILD/ENVATO

It’s August 2026, and my husband and I are on vacation, driving through Black River on Jamaica’s southwest coast. I can still see the devastation where Hurricane Melissa tore through the community less than a year ago: rooflines have been stripped bare, rubble lines the streets, and sections of shoreline sit exposed where retaining walls once stood.

What strikes me more than the wreckage, however, is the uplifting energy that reverberates through the town. I witness neighbours rebuilding one another’s homes, shopkeepers operating from makeshift storefronts, and roots reggae playing on restored verandas. The display of fortitude and unyielding hope feels deeply familiar and fills me with pride. They’re traits I recognize as distinctly Jamaican, and ones my own family taught me: no matter what happens, we continue. Here, Jamaica’s motto, “Out of Many, One People,” is not merely spoken — it is lived.

Jamaica has always been synonymous with resilience. It’s an island that holds beauty and hardship in the same breath, and nowhere is that more visible than along its southwestern coast in the wake of an unprecedented storm.

Community members repair the roof of a pink wooden home damaged by Hurricane Melissa

A couple stands in front of a home under reconstruction

In southwestern Jamaica, community members and charitable organizations work together to rebuild homes and infrastructure. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ISSA TRUST FOUNDATION

HURRICANE DAMAGE IN JAMAICA

On October 28, 2025, Hurricane Melissa made landfall as a Category 5 storm, the most powerful in Jamaica’s recorded history. The World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank estimated the physical damage at US$8.8B (just over CAD$12.5B), equivalent to approximately 41 percent of Jamaica’s 2024 GDP.

Homes and businesses were destroyed, schools closed, and livelihoods were disrupted across western Jamaica. Black River, for instance, faced widespread flooding and power outages, and 90 percent of the town’s buildings were left without roofs. With travel and tourism contributing roughly one-third of the country’s economy, rebuilding meant more than restoring hotel rooms — it meant getting Jamaicans back to work and helping entire communities recover.

“THESE LARGE-SCALE SUPPORTS HELPED COMMUNITIES STABILIZE IN THE IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH OF THE STORM. NOW, AS RECOVERY CONTINUES, TRAVELLERS TO THE REGION — AND THE TOURISM DOLLARS THEY BRING — ARE HELPING DETERMINE HOW QUICKLY LOCAL COMMUNITIES CAN REBUILD.”

POWER IN COMMUNITY

Support arrived quickly from across Jamaica and its diaspora. Within hours of the storm, the Sandals Foundation, the philanthropic division of Jamaican-owned Sandals Resorts, began clearing and securing 17 schools in affected parishes. That initial response grew into a restoration effort worth $1.9M. It encompassed structural repairs, more resilient roofing, water-storage systems, solar power and new learning spaces in time for the 2026–2027 school year. According to Sandals Foundation Executive Director Heidi Clarke, that initial emergency response laid the groundwork for a far larger undertaking — to rebuild local schools stronger than before.

Meanwhile, the Jamaica-based non-profit Issa Trust Foundation, the charitable arm of Couples Resorts, expanded its longstanding work in pediatric health care and education to respond to the emergency. Working with its partners, the foundation helped rebuild homes for displaced families, including Couples Resorts employees, and donated approximately $153,000 in medical equipment and supplies to Savanna-la-Mar Hospital.

These large-scale supports helped communities stabilize in the immediate aftermath of the storm. Now, as recovery continues, travellers to the region — and the tourism dollars they bring — are helping determine how quickly local communities can rebuild.

Students and teachers at the rebuilt Culloden Infant School pose for a picture with Sandals Foundation staff and Adam Stewart, executive chairman of Sandals Resorts and president of the Sandals Foundation. | PHOTO: COURTESY OF SANDALS

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After the hurricane, the Sandals Foundation played a key role in helping to rebuild and restore 17 schools in affected communities. | PHOTO: COURTESY OF SANDALS

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READY TO WELCOME VISITORS

As my husband and I continue our drive along the sparkling south coast, I’m heartened to see painters and landscapers putting the final touches on hotel renovations. I wave at the fruit truck delivering fresh produce to a newly refurbished restaurant and make a mental note to visit the turtle education centre that just reopened on a nearby beach. Slowly but surely, Jamaica is reopening accommodations, experiences and restaurants, with more returning every month.

“Approximately 70 percent of our hotels island-wide have already reopened, with the remaining properties expected to resume operations in the first quarter of 2027,” says Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s minister of tourism. “This [December] alone, we’re welcoming back more than 1,900 hotel rooms. More than 11,000 rooms are expected to return between 2026 and 2027.” Bartlett recommends that travellers confirm reopening dates directly with their hotel, travel advisor or tour operator because schedules may change as restoration work continues.

A major comeback story? Sandals Resorts is completing a more than $284M transformation of three on-island properties that sustained major damage from the hurricane. Sandals South Coast is scheduled to reopen November 18, 2026, followed by Sandals Montego Bay and the newly renamed Sandals Caribbean Cay (formerly Sandals Royal Caribbean) on December 18. Guests can expect redesigned accommodations, new pools, and dining experiences inspired by Jamaican culture. Canadian air access is also expanding, with about 400,000 seats expected during the 2026–27 winter season, and new nonstop service from Porter Airlines joining flights operated by several established carriers. “Jamaica is not just open,” Bartlett says. “Jamaica is ready to welcome you to something truly special.”

Floyd’s Pelican Bar, a thatched-roof bar on stilts over the turquoise waters

Floyd’s Pelican Bar; colourful oceanside suites and an equally colourful outdoor shower at Jake’s. | PHOTOS: JUAN SERRANO CORBELLA/ALAMY; COURTESY OF JAKE’S HOTEL

SUPPORTING THE LOCAL ECONOMY

In the small fishing community of Treasure Beach, generations of the same families operate restaurants, staff villas, prepare meals and captain fishing boats. I can see first-hand how important tourism is for the region’s recovery, and we resolve to support independent local businesses as we explore the area.

At Jake’s and Lobster Pot, we sample fresh seafood and drink homemade rum punch from tables overlooking the Caribbean Sea. We stay at locally owned properties including Hawksbill and Minerva House, both of which feature infinity pools, private beach access and breathtaking ocean views. And we hire Bernard, a local fisherman, to ferry us out to Floyd’s Pelican Bar, a neighbourhood institution on wooden stilts surrounded by turquoise water.

At My Irie Escape, founder Loraine Graveney operates a portfolio of boutique villas built around community tourism, a model designed to spread visitor spending throughout the village. Each property is Black-owned and operated, and staff members are hand-picked by Graveney, who has longstanding relationships with every cook, cleaner and groundskeeper. Visiting a My Irie Escape property feels like visiting family.

“When [you] spend your vacation dollar, you are helping people directly in the community,” Graveney tells me. “You’re sending those children to school. You’re helping them with their groceries. You know exactly where it is that your funds go.”

Graveney also trains and mentors young women in the community, working with a local women’s group to build entrepreneurship skills that will last beyond a single tourist season.

“What I want is impact,” she says with a smile. “I want you to leave with a memory of Treasure Beach that represents authentic Jamaica.”

The pink entrance to a restaurant with chalkboard menus and outdoor seating

Fresh seafood is always on the menu at the Lobster Pot; a spot for soaking and relaxation at Hawksbill; the hot-pink entranceway to Jake’s restaurant. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF LOBSTER POT; COURTESY OF HAWKSBILL JAMAICA; COURTESY OF JAKE’S HOTEL

BUILDING BACK, STRONGER

From my peaceful perch on the wooden dock at Floyd’s, I watch dolphins play and stingrays glide through the crystal-clear water that surrounds us. It feels surreal that just over a year ago, western Jamaica was devastated, reeling in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.

Now, as I gaze out on the turquoise ocean with the mainland in the distance, I know that evidence of renewal is everywhere. Roofs rebuilt to withstand stronger winds. Schools reopening with solar power, water systems and libraries that didn’t previously exist. Resorts returning with stronger infrastructure, revamped tourist offerings and even bigger ambitions. And through it all, the vibrancy, beauty and warmth that have always defined Jamaica remain undimmed.

Jamaica is not simply reopening; it is rebuilding — and it is ready. CAA