Jamaica is determined to welcome winter holidaymakers this year.
Hurricane Melissa tore through the west of the island in late October, upending communities and cutting off travel before the most important season of the year.Jamaican officials and business owners are now rushing to rebuild and restore battered properties.
The Category 5 storm struck on 28 October and left behind battered coastlines, damaged hotels and power outages across nearly half the island. Even so, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett said he expected Jamaica’s tourism sector to be back to normal by 15 December, the start of the island’s peak tourism season.
“Every individual member who was affected is doing everything to get back up and running,” Christopher Jarrett, who leads the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, told AP.
Jamaica’s beach towns hope to bounce back quickly
Known for its turquoise water and laid-back retreats, Western Jamaica suffered the greatest impact from the storm, but operators have already begun putting roofs back on buildings and clearing beaches.
Jarrett said the town of Negril escaped major structural damage and would be among the quickest to bounce back.
He added that many hotels in tourist hotspots such as Kingston and Ocho Rios have also seen business from aid workers and volunteers, helping to keep people employed.
“Right now, we’re giving discounts, between 25 per cent and 50 per cent, and some are giving complimentary stays as well,” he said.
Other hotels will have a longer runway to return to operations.
Sandals and Beaches Resorts, operators of eight all-inclusive resorts on the island, announced plans to keep three of its properties closed for repairs until late May.
Its other five, including Sandals and Beaches resorts in Negril and Ocho Rios, are expected to open from 6 December, once recovery work has been completed.
Cruise ships return with supplies rather than sunseekers
Jamaica’s cruise ports are also stirring back to life – but not for travellers just yet.
A Royal Caribbean ship arrived in Falmouth earlier this week carrying more than 120 pallets of emergency supplies, including water and medical items, while a Carnival Cruise Line ship brought bottled water, baby food, canned goods and hygiene products to Ocho Rios.
The visits marked the first return of large ships since the storm.
Passenger cruises are expected to run again by mid-December, as cruise lines work with the Jamaican government to ensure ports and visitor infrastructure are ready.
Travel is an important trade in Jamaica
The rush to return to normal might seem ambitious, but tourism is a crucial lifeline for local workers. The industry accounts for 30 per cent of Jamaica’s GDP, when indirect activity is included, and supports about 175,000 jobs.
For as much as it damaged buildings and toppled trees, the storm also hit the livelihoods of workers.
“With some of the hotels closed and most of the tourists gone, many of us are left without work. This storm didn’t just destroy buildings; it shattered jobs and incomes for many of us and our families,” said Patricia Mighten, who works in the western parish of Hanover as a hotel housekeeper.
Desrine Smith, a craft vendor who works in the resort town of Falmouth in the northwestern parish of Trelawny, echoed those sentiments.
“Going days without tourists coming to buy anything means no sales and no money. We survive on daily earnings, and now everything is uncertain,” she said.
What travellers can expect this winter
Crews are still trying to access 25 isolated areas in western Jamaica as helicopters continue to drop food for them. Nearly half of all power customers remain without electricity.
As the country eyes its return to normalcy, some infrastructure is already getting up to speed. All international airports have reopened and resumed commercial flights, although delays and last-minute changes remain likely.
Visitors should still expect some visible repair works in the hardest hit areas next month. But while the high season could begin with a few rough edges, the welcome is likely to be as warm as ever.