What Jamaica Wants After Deadly Hurricane? 'Visit Us,' Island Says

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(Hurricane Melissa) killed at least 45 people, damaged about 150,000 buildings and homes and crippled the tourism industry, which the island nation relies on for nearly a third of its economy.

With dozens of hotels wrecked by the storm’s extraordinarily fierce winds and deluges of water, Jamaican authorities are rushing to reopen tens of thousands of hotel rooms in time for the crucial winter travel season. Tourism authorities announced that the country would be back in business for visitors by Dec. 15, which the government considers the start of the season, an ambitious goal that many hotels said they would not meet. Some hotels still do not have electricity and water. Others were too damaged to reopen.

Still, about 70 percent of the country’s 35,000 hotel rooms are set to reopen in a matter of weeks, according to the tourism ministry. Jamaican tourism officials and hotel operators are desperately pushing the message: “If you want to support us, visit us.” That point is critical for everyone from street vendors to taxi drivers to the owners of luxury resorts.

As Jamaicans in hard-hit areas clean up the wreckage and repair damaged buildings, tourism officials and hotel operators want international visitors to know that many neighborhoods are intact. While the damage was worst on the southwest shore, Ocho Rios, a key tourism destination on Jamaica’s north coast, saw little if any damage.


More:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/01/world/americas/hurricane-jamaica-tourism.html

We've got some free time in February. Might be a good time for us to go see Jamrock!